Boko Haram Truce Might Mean the Return of Kidnapped Nigerian Girls

It’s been over six months since insurgent group Boko Haram kidnapped nearly 300 female students from their boarding school in Chibok, Nigeria and now, after much negotiation, it seems as though the girls might finally be returned home.

The Nigerian government spent a month negotiating the terms of a truce with Boko Haram and yesterday announced a ceasefire. As for the 276 kidnapped girls who garnered international attention last spring, Hassan Tukur — the Nigerian presidential aide — tells BBC Focus on Africa that Boko Haram “has assured us they have the girls and they will release them.”

Tukur adds that he is “cautiously optimistic.”

Boko Haram has yet to release a statement about the truce or the return of the girls, many of whom were rumored to have been sold into sex slavery. Hopefully, all of the girls will be returned to their families and will one day get to live in a world where the simple act of getting an education doesn’t make them a target for harm.