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Friday, January 16, 2015

President Jonathan Makes Surprise Visit To Boko Haram's Heartland To Meet The 5,000 Left Homeless By Massacre [IMAGES]

The president addressed the crowd and told them that all areas of Nigeria under the control of Boko Haram would be recaptured soon 
The president addressed the crowd and told them that all areas of Nigeria under the control of Boko Haram would be recaptured soon 
Nigeria's president has made a surprise visit to the heartland of the Boko Haram movement to meet survivors of the massacre which saw an estimated 2,500 people slaughtered by Islamist militants. Goodluck Jonathan spent three hours in Maiduguri, capital of Borno State, and addressed 5,000 people who have been sheltering in a camp since the attack by the terror group earlier this month.

The president's visit comes just a day after new images obtained by Amnesty International show the devastation of the assault - with more than 3,700 structures including houses and schools completely destroyed in the towns of Baga and Doron Baga. 

President Goodluck Jonathan, dressed in a grey shirt and dark hat, meets survivors of the Boko Haram massacre in Nigeria, which is thought to have killed 2,500 people 
President Goodluck Jonathan, dressed in a grey shirt and dark hat, meets survivors of the Boko Haram massacre in Nigeria, which is thought to have killed 2,500 people 
Around 5,000 people are currently living in a camp after their towns were completely destroyed in the deadly attack 
Around 5,000 people are currently living in a camp after their towns were completely destroyed in the deadly attack 
During his visit to the camp, Mr Jonathan promised that all areas of Nigeria under the control of Boko Haram would be recaptured soon.

He told the crowd of displaced people: 'I want to assure you that you will soon go back to your houses'. The president's visit to Maiduguri - his first since March 2013 - was shrouded in secrecy and came after a previous trip to the region in May last year was cancelled at the last minute.
The president's visit to the Boko Haram heartland was the first since March 2013 and was shrouded in secrecy  
The president's visit to the Boko Haram heartland was the first since March 2013 and was shrouded in secrecy 
Mr Jonathan takes a salute from soldiers of the Nigerian Army fighting Boko Haram. The Nigerian leader has come under fire for his failure to crush the terror group 
Mr Jonathan takes a salute from soldiers of the Nigerian Army fighting Boko Haram. The Nigerian leader has come under fire for his failure to crush the terror group
Nigeria's leader has come under fierce criticism for his failure to crush Boko Haram's bid to establish a hardline Islamic state in northeast Nigeria. His visit comes after aerial shots emerged yesterday of the towns taken a day before the attack and a day after, showing the massive scale of destruction after the massacre. 

They were released by Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, who said the images suggested 'devastation of catastrophic proportions'. They added that 11 per cent of Baga and 57 percent of Doron Baga was flattened, most likely by fire. Human Rights Watch said the exact death toll was unknown and quoted one local resident as saying: 'No one stayed back to count the bodies.

'We were all running to get out of town ahead of Boko Haram fighters who have since taken over the area.' 

People were forced to queue up to take refuge inside a 'Teachers Village' in Maiduguri after their homes were destroyed in the Boko Haram attack 
People were forced to queue up to take refuge inside a 'Teachers Village' in Maiduguri after their homes were destroyed in the Boko Haram attack 
Children play on the ground outside the refuge. More than 3,700 structures including houses and schools were completely destroyed in the towns of Baga and Doron Baga
Children play on the ground outside the refuge. More than 3,700 structures including houses and schools were completely destroyed in the towns of Baga and Doron Baga
Meanwhile Amnesty cited reports of women being rounded up and detained at a school. They added: 'The deliberate killing of civilians and destruction of their property by Boko Haram are war crimes and crimes against humanity and must be duly investigated.'

It comes as U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry accused the Islamist insurgents of a 'crime against humanity'. He described Boko Haram as a 'serious threat to all of our values' during a visit to Bulgaria with British foreign secretary Philip Hammond.

Before: Infra-red images show the densely populated village of Doron Baga on January 2 - before the attack
Before: Infra-red images show the densely populated village of Doron Baga on January 2 - before the attack
After: This image taken on January 7, following Boko Haram's assault, shows the village transformed by death and destruction
After: This image taken on January 7, following Boko Haram's assault, shows the village transformed by death and destruction
Amnesty International believe that 11 per cent of Baga and 57 percent of Doron Baga was flattened, most likely by fire 
Amnesty International believe that 11 per cent of Baga and 57 percent of Doron Baga was flattened, most likely by fire 
A map showing Nigeria and the location of Baga which was devastated by a massarce by brutal Boko Haram fanatics
A map showing Nigeria and the location of Baga which was devastated by a massarce by brutal Boko Haram fanatics
Cameroon also announced that neighbouring Chad will send troops to aid their country's fight against Boko Haram, though no date for the deployment or size of the contingent was given. 

Meanwhile Gordon Brown, UN special envoy for education, urged the world to condemn the use of young girls as suicide bombers by Boko Haram, calling it 'barbaric.'  At least 19 people were killed on Saturday when a young girl, thought to be aged about 10, blew herself up at a crowded market in the northeast Nigerian city of Maiduguri, the Red Cross and local vigilantes said.

Boko Haram also drew international condemnation when its fighters kidnapped 276 schoolgirls from a boarding school in north-east Chibok last year. Dozens escaped, but 219 remain missing.



   - Daily Mail


...BONUS...






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