Nigeria 2014

[Ivanhoe]

http://www.latimes.com/world/africa/la-fg-us-nigeria-20140507-story.html

 

The Obama administration will send military, intelligence and law enforcement advisors to Nigeria to help the beleaguered government find and rescue more than 270 teenage girls who were abducted by the Boko Haram terrorist group last month, the White House said Tuesday..

 

The team will share U.S. intelligence and provide investigative help, not military force, in the search for the students, who were kidnapped April 14 from a rural high school in Nigeria's Muslim-dominated northeast.

 

The deployment will mark the first public American assistance in a case that has sparked international outrage. The U.S. announcement came after the leader of Boko Haram vowed in a video to sell the girls as slaves, and after gunmen reportedly took at least eight more girls from another village overnight.

 

A sad situation, and not easily remedied.

 

The current news stories raise a simple question; what can American forces really do, without deploying trigger-pullers?

[Roman Alymov]

The current news stories raise a simple question; what can American forces really do, without deploying trigger-pullers?

 

Let me self-quote from “Kiev” thread (it was about UK government actions, but applicable also for US):

 

"I think by British standards each and every of current Ukrainian and Russian political and business elite deserve to go to jail – including those guys in Kiev whom your government support now, and all this guys buying yachts&luxury in London. So if you really would like to help Russia, Ukraine, Nigeria, China etc. in battling corruption and building democracy – you could do it by putting all this corrupt officials to where they deserve to be, not providing them safe haven. By the way Russia have to be grateful for current sanctions imposed on at least some of oligarchs – but it is still only few."

[Colin]

I notice that articles on the Nigerian girls situation on Arabic News (Saudia) shuts down comments on this story. It does not appear that the Islamic world feels they need to deal with this issue. Individual Muslims certainly are horrified about this.

[Colin]

Just appeared in local news, a good sign

 

 

The abduction three weeks ago of hundreds of schoolgirls in Nigeria by the Muslim extremist group Boko Haram is now generating worldwide attention and condemnation. Muslim leaders in various countries have criticized Boko Haram’s leader for using Islamic teachings as his justification for threatening to sell the girls into slavery. Others have focused on what they view as a slow response by Nigeria’s government to the crisis. The British and French governments announced Wednesday that they would send teams of experts to complement the U.S. team heading to Nigeria to help with the search for the girls, and Nigeria’s president said China has also offered assistance.

Some of the reactions to the crisis:

— EGYPT: Religious Endowments Minister Mohammed Mohktar Gomaa said “the actions by Boko Haram are pure terrorism, with no relation to Islam, especially the kidnapping of the girls.”

Sheik Ahmed el-Tayeb of the Cairo-based Al-Azhar, one of Sunni Islam’s most prestigious institutions, said the abductions “completely contradict Islam and its principles of tolerance.”

— PAKISTAN: Dawn, an English language newspaper, published an opinion piece that takes Nigeria to task for not moving against Boko Haram. “The popular upsurge in Nigeria in the wake of the latest unspeakable atrocity provides some scope for hoping that the state will finally act decisively to obliterate the growing menace,” wrote columnist Mahir Ali.

— INDONESIA: In the world’s most populous Muslim-majority country, the Jakarta Post published an editorial Wednesday condemning the Boko Haram leader for “wrongly” citing Islamic teaching as his excuse for selling the abducted girls into slavery. Recalling the Taliban’s shooting of 15-year-old Pakistani girl Malala Yousafzai in 2012 because of her outspokenness in defence of girls’ right to an education, the editorial said: “Malala’s message needs to be conveyed to all people who use their power to block children’s access to education. It is saddening that religion is misused to terrorize people and to kill the future leaders of the world.”

The newspaper also criticized Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan, noting that “only after international condemnation and street demonstrations poured in did President Jonathan tell his nation that he would take all necessary actions to return the young women to their parents and schools, while also acknowledging that the whereabouts of the abductees remained unknown.”

— SWEDEN: In an editorial posted on the left-wing news website politism.se, blogger Nikita Feiz criticized the international community for its slow response and asked why the situation hadn’t triggered as loud a reaction as when Malala was shot in Pakistan. “Looking at the situation in Nigeria, Malala appears like a false promise from the West that it would stand up for girls’ rights to attend school without fear of being subjected to sexual exploitation and abuse,” she said. “It is difficult not to draw the conclusion that the West’s assurance to act for girls’ rights suddenly isn’t as natural when it comes to girls’ rights in a country in Africa.”

— UNITED STATES: The U.S. government is sending to Nigeria a team of technical experts, including American military and law enforcement personnel skilled in intelligence, investigations, hostage negotiating, information sharing and victim assistance, as well as officials with expertise in other areas — but not U.S. armed forces.

In an editorial, The New York Times faulted the Nigeria’s president: “It wasn’t until Sunday, more than two weeks after the kidnappings, that he called a meeting of government officials, including the leader of the girls’ school, to discuss the incident.”

— BRITAIN: Prime Minister David Cameron’s office said Britain will send a small team of experts to Nigeria, following protests over the weekend outside the Nigerian Embassy in London and an increasing number of newspaper editorials calling for action to rescue the girls.

— FRANCE: Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said France is ready to send a “specialized team … to help with the search and rescue.” France already has soldiers in Niger, Cameroon and Mali, where it is fighting Islamic insurgents, as well as in Central African Republic.

— CHINA: Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, arriving Wednesday in Nigeria for a state visit, did not specifically mention the abductions in a transcript of a joint press conference with Nigeria’s president, instead making only a general reference to the “need to work together to oppose and fight terrorism.” In his remarks, Jonathan said China “promised to assist Nigeria in our fight against terror especially in our commitment and effort to rescue the girls.”

___

Associated Press correspondents Lee Keath in Cairo, Michelle Faul in Lagos, Nigeria, Gregory Katz in London, Malin Rising in Stockholm and Masha Macpherson in Paris contributed.

[Paul G.]

If this doesn't end "Good Luck"s presidency nothing will. Unless they, by some miracle get most of them back.

[MKSheppard]

Well, looks like they upped the ante:

 

http://www.cnn.com/2014/05/07/world/africa/nigeria-abducted-girls/index.html?hpt=hp_bn2

 

Boko Haram launched a grisly attack on a Nigerian village in an area that troops had been using as a base in the search for hundreds of schoolgirls abducted by the militant group, witnesses told CNN on Wednesday. The hourslong assault on Gamboru Ngala that left at least 150 people dead, some of whom were burned alive...

 

...

 

Witnesses described a well-coordinated attack that began shortly after 1:30 p.m. local time Monday at a busy outdoor market in Gamboru Ngala.

 

Wearing military uniforms, the militants arrived with three armored personnel carriers, they said.

 

They shouted "Allahu Akbar" -- "God is great" -- and opened up on the market, firing rocket-propelled grenades and tossing improvised explosive devices, witnesses said.

 

Some marketgoers tried to take shelter in shops only to be burned alive when the gunmen set fire to a number of the businesses, the witnesses said

 

A few Nigerian soldiers who had been left behind at the village could not hold off the assault and were forced to flee, they said. Many sought safe haven in nearby Cameroon, they said.

 

The fighters also attacked the police station during the 12-hour assault, initially facing stiff resistance. They eventually used explosives to blow the roof off the building, witnesses said. Fourteen police officers were found dead inside, they said.

 

The final death toll could be closer to 300, Nigerian Sen. Ahmed Zanna told CNN.

[Brian Kennedy]

Deleted, too angry

Edited May 8, 2014 by Brian Kennedy

[Ken Estes]

Rushing US 'trigger pullers' to Nigeria will not produce useful results, given our experiences in Somalia, Iraq and Afghanistan. Triggers will be pulled, but targets will not be the ones we necessarily want, and chaos and recriminations will result.

 

Nigeria has armed forces, and these must be trained, equipped and deployed to handle their internal security problems. The fact that they let this get so out of hand is something worth consideration and study. They have deployed in brigade strength to Liberia, Sierra Leon, Darfur and Mali, so how about peacekeeping at home?

[Mistral]

I am guessing there is no money in that for the governing elite.

[WRW]

bring the RLI fireforce back

[Ivanhoe]

http://www.military.com/daily-news/2014/05/07/dod-outlines-plans-to-help-rescue-nigerian-girls.html

 

WASHINGTON -- The Pentagon on Wednesday unveiled its plans to help rescue more than 200 girls who were kidnapped by Islamic militants in Nigeria.

 

At the direction of the White House, the U.S. military will send a small team of experts to the embassy in Abuja, Nigeria's capital, to form an interagency "coordination and assessment cell" that will work the Nigerian government to locate and free the teenagers who were abducted from their school by Boko Haram last month, Pentagon spokesman Col. Steve Warren told reporters.

 

The U.S. military team will consist of fewer than 10 uniformed military personnel, who will advise and assist the Nigerians with communications, logistics, and intelligence, according to Warren.

 

Warren would not say whether the U.S. will send surveillance drones to Nigeria to search for the girls, but did say that the "we are discussing with the Nigerian government any type of information sharing arrangements that we can -- that we can agree to."

[T19]

Canada is sending advanced surveillance equipment and military operators.

[Noble713]

Nigeria is a big country. Why not look for them in Syria?

 

-As stated, Islamic insurgents are big on sex slaves. Should be lots of "demand" from the forces in Syria.

-They probably have *some* connections to Boko Haram.

-They're on the US payroll anyway, should be as simple as a phonecall and a larger-than-usual cash delivery to get the girls back.

 

Spook: "You guys buy any Nigerian 'sex jihadists' lately?"

Al-Jihadi: "Maybe. Why you ask?"

Spook: "Look, just send 'em back to Nigeria."

Al-Jihadi: "They're pretty popular with the men..."

Spook: "Send 'em back or you don't get anymore ATGMs."

Al-Jihadi: ".....Fine. I'll have the men go rape another Christian or Kurdish village and blame it on Assad's forces."

Spook: "Sounds good."

[Yama]

The current news stories raise a simple question; what can American forces really do, without deploying trigger-pullers?

Do what they do best, bomb them to bits from comfortable distance? Really, if there is one bunch of people on this globe who won't be missed by anyone, Boko Haram are serious candidate for that. Heck, if Obama does that, I promise to go and personally polish his Nobel Peace Prize.

Edited May 8, 2014 by Yama

[Sami Jumppanen]

Bit of a story i found a while ago due to a hobby of mine:

 

http://www.nigeriavillagesquare.com/articles/reuben-abati/how-to-be-a-nigerian-15.html

[Ivanhoe]

 

The current news stories raise a simple question; what can American forces really do, without deploying trigger-pullers?

Do what they do best, bomb them to bits from comfortable distance? Really, if there is one bunch of people on this globe who won't be missed by anyone, Boko Haram are serious candidate for that. Heck, if Obama does that, I promise to go and personally polish his Nobel Peace Prize.

 

If they could find and fix them, that would be great. Park a CVN off the coast and let the Hornet drivers go medieval on their asses. But what little I've read about the situation is that its similar to the Taliban in A-stan and similar struggles; the a-holes move from town to town, mix with locals, etc. Rarely a great target for HE.

 

And I am skeptical that the US State Dept will support any "kinetic action" (i.e. lead transfusions). If Obama dealt directly with AFRICOM, in concert with NATO types, they could send lots of Bokos to the pearly gates. I figure things will have to get worse before Obama goes "gloves off" even with Boko Haram.

[X-Files]

Bit of a story i found a while ago due to a hobby of mine:

 

http://www.nigeriavillagesquare.com/articles/reuben-abati/how-to-be-a-nigerian-15.html

 

Good post there.

[Ken Estes]

Going medieval on their asses would rescue how many hostages?

[Ivanhoe]

Probably none of the current hostages. Possibly many future victims. Given the region's situation, and Nigeria's inability to deal with BH, to me it doesn't look like much can be done for the current hostages. Except if western forces manage to locate and vaporize a whole bunch of BH, enough to change perceptions of the power balance; then, locals might get brave enough to speak up and identify BH members and possible hostage locations.

[Mr King]

 

 

And I am skeptical that the US State Dept will support any "kinetic action" (i.e. lead transfusions). If Obama dealt directly with AFRICOM, in concert with NATO types, they could send lots of Bokos to the pearly gates. I figure things will have to get worse before Obama goes "gloves off" even with Boko Haram.

 

 

The same US State Dept that under Hillary Clinton fought to keep from labeling these muslim lunatics terrorist?

[Colin]

Interesting read http://bbs.chinadaily.com.cn/forum.php?mod=viewthread&tid=963739

 

 

 

LAGOS, Nigeria — “How China Is Taking Over Nigeria” is a typical headline in the national press these days, and it is hard not to feel that this is so, at least here in Lagos. The most visible sign is Chinatown, with its red, castle-like wall surrounding a huge complex in the Ojota district. The main entrance is marked with the inscription, “Long Live Nigeria-China Friendship.”

I first visited the place shortly after it opened in 2004, which might be taken as the year China began to register its presence here in a big way.

More than 17,000 Chinese are said to be legally resident in Lagos and neighboring Ogun State, but the true figure is certainly much higher. The head of the Immigration Service, David Paradang, gave those official figures last year, but he noted that many Chinese people come into Nigeria on “visiting, tourist or business visas” and remain illegally.

What he didn’t say was that many of them bribe the immigration officials to stay on — as I saw for myself when I visited an Immigration Service office. The Chinese man who was trying to extend his stay spoke very little English but was evidently used to the system. All that needed to be discussed was the official’s price, and you don’t need too many words for that.

Curiously enough, Chinatown seems more subdued today than when I first visited. Back then, it bustled with activity as people filled shops selling clothes and shoes of all descriptions, cosmetics and kitchen utensils — all of it cheap. There were a number of Chinese restaurants, too. Although some Nigerians worked in the shops, most of the staff appeared to be Chinese.

Now, on another visit a decade later, all the restaurants were closed and more than half the shops unoccupied. Those that were open had few shoppers. But this was deceptive. The truth is that the Chinese are moving on to bigger things.

“You see few people here, but the money we make is big,” said a shop assistant. “We merely display the clothes here while we make money from wholesale traders. They come from as far as the north to place orders here.” She reckoned that her shop alone took in more than $1,500 a day.

China’s growing economic presence is evident in Computer Village in the nearby Ikeja area, a warren of streets with three- and four-story buildings, all occupied. More people — almost all Nigerians — sell Chinese goods on the sidewalks or walk about hawking their wares. The fastest-moving items are mobile handsets. According to one Nigerian retailer, they’re cheap but don’t last long. He told me that his supply depends upon a “big boy” — a middleman who has made enough money to be able to go abroad, buy wholesale and offload the goods back home.

The street merchant said that he hopes to travel to China himself when he has saved enough. There are now daily flights between the two countries, and the Chinese Embassy doesn’t give people a hard time over visas. The street merchant said he was also taking the opportunity to learn Mandarin at the Confucius Institute at the University of Lagos, which opened in 2009. More recently, the Lagos state government announced a pilot program to teach Mandarin in selected schools.

The strengthening ties between China and Nigeria are mutually beneficial for several reasons. Apart from a ready market for their goods in a country of 177 million people, the Chinese have a pressing need for Nigerian oil. In January, the Nigerian government announced that a Chinese firm had agreed to invest $10 billion to explore for oil and gas in the Bida basin in Niger State. This is a welcome development, given the reluctance of Western companies to do business in a country plagued by corruption and security threats.

Despite all this, the Chinese themselves remain unpopular. This is partly because they don’t mix with Nigerians, and are widely perceived as too mercenary. This image was reinforced several years ago when it was revealed that China was the source of many of the counterfeit drugs entering the country. The director of the National Agency for Food and Drugs Administration and Control at the time, Prof. Dora Akunyili, expressed frustration with the Chinese authorities over their lack of cooperation.

Chinese employers here also have a bad reputation for the way they treat workers. The haunting memory of a fire in a rubber-products factory in 2002 that killed anywhere between 45 and 250 people or more (accurate figures are a rarity in Nigeria) still strikes a nerve. Survivors said that many of the workers had been locked inside overnight — apparently a regular practice. They painted a grim picture of violence and sexual exploitation in the factory, problems that have been echoed elsewhere.

Yet to single out the Chinese in this way is unfair. Nigerian employers are hardly any better, and in some cases perhaps even worse. One sees this clearly enough in the violence inflicted on any number of “houseboys” and maids brought from the villages to slave away in city homes. From time to time one is beaten to death for a minor infraction, but nobody is ever brought to justice once money changes hands.

Expatriate employers can get away with what they do because the system encourages them. During her crusade against counterfeit drugs, Professor Akunyili singled out Marcel Nnakwe, a Nigerian, as the biggest producer in the country. Attempts to bring him to justice proved abortive, despite the huge amount of evidence her agency had compiled. She herself survived a number of assassination attempts and, on one occasion, the commission’s laboratories were burned down. Nobody was charged.

Perhaps it is just easier for us to blame foreigners for what we do to ourselves.

Adewale Maja-Pearce is a writer and critic, and the author of “Remembering Ken Saro-Wiwa, and Other Essays.”

[Brian Kennedy]

If the girls have already been sold off to slave traders, couldn't somebody just offer them a few stacks of millions to track them down, reimburse their purchasers and buy them back? Have family members ID each of the girls so they don't sneak in any ringers.

[Mr King]

If the girls have already been sold off to slave traders, couldn't somebody just offer them a few stacks of millions to track them down, reimburse their purchasers and buy them back? Have family members ID each of the girls so they don't sneak in any ringers.

 

So what you're saying is encourage more of this? What happens the next time?

[Sami Jumppanen]

Prize on those girls would definitely skyrocket immediately and a whole new industry would be born.

[Mr King]

Bingo