The White House acknowledged the first anniversary of the kidnapping of hundreds of schoolgirls in Nigeria by the terrorist organization Boko Haram.
White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest admits that in spite of the United States sending resources to assist in the search, it hasn’t been successful.
“The United States is engaged in that effort, there is military personnel, other personnel with specialized capabilities, who are working closely with the Nigerians as they confront this very difficult challenge,” Earnest admitted.
White House reporter April Ryan asked Earnest today if there was any hope in finding the lost girls.
“April, there is always hope that the forces of good will be able to overcome some of the destructive violent forces that get a lot of attention in this world,” Earnest replied.
In May 2014, the White House announced that 80 troops would be sent to nearby Chad to assist Nigeria in the search.
The horrific mass kidnapping received a great deal of attention after the #bringbackourgirls campaign drew support from celebrities such as Rihanna and Ellen DeGeneres tweeted support for the campaign.
First Lady Michelle Obama also joined in the awareness campaign.
Our prayers are with the missing Nigerian girls and their families. It's time to #BringBackOurGirls. -mo pic.twitter.com/glDKDotJRt
— First Lady- Archived (@FLOTUS44) May 7, 2014
Nearly a year later, Hauwa Biu, a woman’s rights activist and professor in Maiduguri, Nigeria told NBC News that she was disheartened by the failure of the social media campaign.
“I cannot say that the #BringBackOurGirls campaign has made women and young girls in the northeast feel any safer,” she said.
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.