Latest kidnapping shows Boko Haram still a threat

ABUJA, Nigeria—The Nigeria-based Boko Haram extremist group in its latest mass abduction kidnapped 110 girls from a public school in the northeast, renewing fear of the group’s insurgency and leaving the government scrambling to respond.

Boko Haram insurgents last month stormed the town of Dapchi in Yobe state and opened fire, sending people fleeing for shelter in the forests. After several conflicting reports, the government admitted the insurgents kidnapped 110 girls, although parents say only 105 girls are missing. The attack rehashed memories of a similar 2014 kidnapping, during which Boko Haram militants abducted more than 200 girls from a school in the northeast town of Chibok.

It also renewed concerns over security in the country’s northeast. Earlier in February, the Nigerian Army claimed it destroyed “the heart and soul” of the militant group, with other insurgents on the run. The Nigerian military said its troops withdrew from Dapchi weeks before the attack and handed over security to police, a claim local officials denied.

“The fact that security forces were taken aback by the kidnapping … it reflects the kind of confusion which is going on there,” Martin Ewi, an analyst with the South Africa-based Institute for Security Studies, told me.

President Muhammadu Buhari declared the kidnapping a “national disaster” and security forces extended the search for the girls to neighboring Chad, Niger, and Cameroon. The president’s office last week said security forces in northeast Borno, Yobe, and Adamawa states will “ensure deployment of personnel to all schools” to avoid further mass abductions. The ramped-up security has done little to reassure students and families. Since the 2014 Chibok kidnapping, at least 113 girls remain unaccounted for.

Amina Usman, one of the Dapchi schoolgirls who fled the attack, said she thought she would never see her family again. “I don’t want to return to that school again, except if I get transfer to another place,” she said. “I am scared, even if the government provide security.”

UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric condemned the abduction in a press briefing: “We very much hope that the perpetrators will be brought to justice, and just as importantly, that the girls will be found and returned to safety.” The UN Security Council also called on regional states to cooperate in rescue efforts.

Ewi said the abduction shows Boko Haram remains operational, albeit using different tactics.

“I don’t think we’ve seen the end of it,” he said. “We forget the in-between, there’s been a lot of kidnapping because Boko Haram depends on it.”

Malaysian court leaves Christian converts in limbo

Malaysia’s highest court ruled late last month that it lacks jurisdiction over four Christians seeking to have their religion changed from Islam to Christianity on official documentation. In Malaysia, all identification cards include a religion designation.

In the Feb. 27 ruling, the judges decided Islamic sharia courts have authority over “apostasy,” not civil courts, World Watch Monitor reported.

All four Christians wanted formal document and name changes reflecting their Christian identities. Three of them were Christians who converted to Islam to marry Muslims and then returned to Christianity, according to Morning Star News (MSN). One is an ethnic Malay, who was raised Muslim and converted to Christianity. All Malays are considered Muslim under the country’s constitution.

MSN reported the Christians’ only option is to seek permission from a sharia court to leave Islam. Because the sharia courts have no provisions for such a move, former Muslims remain in limbo.

Prior cases gave more hope to Christians. In January, Christians and others welcomed the federal court’s decision to require both parents’ consent to convert children. And in a landmark 2016 decision, the court ruled Rooney Rebit’s ID should be changed to reflect his Christian identity. Rebit was considered Muslim due to his parent’s conversion when he was 8 years old.

Still, Christian leaders in Malaysia haven’t given up.

Simon Peter Poh Hoon Seng, the metropolitan archbishop of Kuching, Sarawak State, said in a statement the court’s judges appeared “neutral and fair” in their deliberations: “Pray, continue to pray. With God, nothing is impossible.” —Julia A. Seymour

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ISIS video details ambush on U.S. troops

Islamic State (ISIS) militants released a video this week showing parts of the October ambush that killed four U.S. soldiers in Niger. The soldiers belonged to a 12-member special forces unit that accompanied 30 Nigerien soldiers on a mission to the border village of Tongo Tongo. As many as 100 ISIS-affiliated fighters attacked the group with gun trucks, small arms, and grenades. The 9-minute video, which the militants shared via the Telegram messaging app, included footage from one soldier’s helmet camera.

The clip begins with members of the Mali-based Jamaat Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) group pledging allegiance to ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. According to Agence France-Presse, it went on to show the soldiers firing at their attackers as they tried to take cover behind their vehicle. The video ended when the soldier with the helmet camera fell to the ground and the militants shot him at point-blank range.

Pentagon spokesman Col. Rob Manning said the Defense Department is aware of the video. “The release of these materials demonstrates the depravity of the enemy we are fighting,” the Pentagon said in a statement. The killings prompted a Pentagon investigation into whether U.S. soldiers were properly equipped for their mission. Although the official findings won’t be released until later this month, initial reports indicate the soldiers didn’t have required clearance for the mission, which might explain why they didn’t have enough resources to repel their attackers. —O.O.

Militants release video of French hostage

A Mali-based al-Qaeda affiliate last week released a video of a kidnapped French aid worker in bad health. Jamaat Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM), which earlier claimed responsibility for kidnapping Sophie Petronin, released the video titled “S.O.S., Save old Sophie.” The 72-year-old ran a charity assisting malnourished and orphaned children in the city of Gao in northeastern Mali. The video shows Petronin lying on a cot inside a tent. An audio track of French President Emmanuel Macron saying “I will protect you” plays on repeat. “The health status of my aunt is deteriorating very quickly,” Petronin’s nephew, Arnaud Granouillac, told a French television station. “I hope that if President Macron sees this video, he will realize that my aunt … is still a human being.” JNIM last year released a video showing Petronin and at least five other hostages kidnapped in Mali, including a Swiss missionary and a Colombian nun. —O.O.

Indonesian terror victims reject mediation efforts

Some terror attack survivors in Indonesia boycotted a government-organized mediation between former Islamic militants and survivors. The three-day gathering last week included 124 former militants and 51 survivors. The Indonesian anti-terrorism agency organized the meeting as part of a deradicalization effort amid increasing battles with homegrown militancy. Indonesia has arrested hundreds of militants since the 2002 bombings in Bali that killed more than 200 people. Sucipto Hari Wibowo, who survived the 2004 bombing of the Australian Embassy, said many members of the Indonesian Survivors Foundation still are not ready to meet their attackers. “A public reconciliation would definitely involve high emotional pressure for some victims,” he said. —O.O.

Tillerson begins first African trip

U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on Tuesday began his first official trip to the African continent. The State Department in a statement said Tillerson’s weeklong visit will include stops in Chad, Ethiopia, Kenya, and Nigeria. During his trip, Tillerson will “discuss ways we can work with our partners to counter terrorism, advance peace and security, promote good governance, and spur mutually beneficial trade and investment.” —O.O.

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