Boko Haram denies truce with Nigerian government or plan to free Chibok girls
Children in conflicts
Hopes that the 219 adbucted Chibok schoolgirls were about to be freed have been dealt a blow after Boko Haram denied it had agreed to a truce with the Nigerian government.
In a video released last night, the group's leader聽Abubakar Shekau聽said there was no ceasefire and claimed the girls had been 鈥渕arried off鈥.
鈥淭he issue of the girls is long forgotten because I have long ago married them off,鈥 he said in the film released to the Associated Press. 鈥淚n this war, there is no going back.鈥
Agence France Press also said it had received a video from Boko Haram yesterday 鈥 the 200th day since the girls were kidnapped.
AFP said it showed Shekau flanked by 15 gunmen, saying: 鈥淲e have not made ceasefire with anyone鈥 We did not negotiate with anyone鈥 It's a lie. It's a lie. We will not negotiate. What is our business with negotiation? Allah said we should not.鈥
He added: 鈥淒on't you know the over 200 Chibok schoolgirls have converted to Islam? They have now memorised two chapters of the Koran.
鈥淲e have married them off. They are in their marital homes.鈥
The Nigerian government and military said on October 17 .聽Chief of defence staff Alex Badeh announced the ceasefire and a senior aide to President Goodluck Jonathan said the girls would soon be set free. Members of the #BringBackOurGirls campaign tweeted at the time: 鈥淲e are monitoring the news with huge expectations.鈥
Violence has continued since the ceasefire announcement. The next day, 聽from two villages in northeastern Nigeria.
A said forced marriage is commonplace in Boko Haram and claimed the group is holding more than 500 women and young girls.
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