The release of 82  Chibok schoolgirls by their Boko Haram captors, after three years, is heart-warming, the United States Government said.
Deputy Director, Office of West African Affairs, Bureau of African Affairs at the U.S. Department of State, Nathan Holt,  said this in Washington D.C, via teleconference on Nigeria, a critical US partner.
Holt said: “…Obviously, that was a heart-warming and positive development for the young women involved and for their families. We’d like to point out that they’re among thousands of victims of Boko Haram and its offshoot, ISIS West Africa.
The U.S. envoy explained that America is carrying out a lot of bilateral activities with Nigeria and multilateral cooperation, involving the UN and noted that Nigeria has an influential voice on the African continent.
Holt regretted that Boko Haram terrorists had brought untold consequences on the country and its neighbours but noted that “it is heart-warming that civilians, who were displaced, are gradually gaining access to some of the recovered territories by military operations. One of the critical consequences of the Boko Haram and ISIS West Africa insurgency, which has been going on since 2009, is that it has produced terrible consequences for the population. As the military authorities have begun to coordinate their activities more effectively, they and the civilian authorities have gained access to areas previously under the control of Boko Haram…”
Meanwhile, the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) has also hailed the federal government on the girls’ release.
UNHCR Representative to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Jose Canhandula, gave the commendation at the opening of a three-day workshop for stakeholders on International Protection Principles for Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs).
Canhandula described the significant increase in return of IDPs as a step in the right direction.
He also said that the workshop, organised by the UNHCR, was aimed at fostering mutual understanding on the meaning of protection in the humanitarian crisis situation in the North-East.
“Today’s workshop seeks to address ways in which to improve coordination, build effective response and analyse return strategies. We have all chosen to be part of this workshop because of our mutual passion to help the most vulnerable people in Nigeria — the young children that have no food, homes, or access to education. The widowed women and young girls running away from violence, rape and various forms of sexual abuse; the women and men in detention centres without access to justice. All these individuals are the reason why we are all here, to find solutions and ways of providing physical security, free movement, and access to justice and social services to them.”