Boko Haram moves again!

Nine suicide bombers blew themselves up killing 19 people in a series of attacks that targeted girls and young women. They concentrated on marketplaces and the girl suicide bomber aimed at a tea vendors cafe. The north eastern city Maiduguri, the birthplace of Boko Haram's eight year insurgency.
"One of the suicide bombers was female she actually crept to the sand bag post of our boys at Molai and before they had realised what was happening she detonated herself and killed three of our boys"
This was reported by State Police Commissioner Damian Chukwu. Some young women who escaped extremist groups have said that the girls were drugged and forced to carry out suicide missions, we do not have verification that this is true.
After the kidnapping of those girls from Chibok, the School girls have been released in small batches,
unfortunately, Boko Haram seems to be going strong, although I believe that Nigeria would like to be free of them, that might take longer than we think.

Good News as girls were released!

From the Guardian report: 'Amazing joy' as Chibok schoolgirl is reunited with family in Nigeria

The negotiator, a lawyer who had once acted for Mohammed Yosef founder of Boko Haram, was able to pick up the girls who had been released yesterday and it was expected that the remaining girls would be released later that day.

Nkeki, Vice Chair person of the Chibok parents group was a Primary School Teacher at a nearby school. A number of Boko Haram members were released in exchange for the school girls. There was so much excitement as the girls were released. They went to the Red Cross where they were inspected for their well being. Having followed this story since the girls were kidnapped 2 years ago, I feel such relief that for some the ordeal is over. 

The Rise of Boko Harem in Kenya again!

Just when life for some was becoming more settled Boko Harem seems to have flexed their muscles and unlike the petition that was started by the girls that were kidnapped from the Prestigious school in a forest in Northern Kenya and the village called Chidak, some girls have escaped and one has a baby.
Yesterday April 4th 22 girls and Women were kidnapped there were two raids one in the village of Pulka and the other incident was in the Village of Dunber, the girls will end up as wives of the fighters. 

 A boy on the news yesterday that he had nothing to do, where are all the youth clubs? As the old saying goes the devil finds work for those with nothing to do. It seems that we are a very selfish generation, thinking of none but ourselves. The trouble is that we are a generation that appear very selfish. It was Volunteers day a few weeks ago, and where are all the people that became Scout Masters or Mistresses, or Brown Owls or leaders of teenagers in Church, it can seem daunting to some people, but can be rewarding. It keeps people in touch with how the youth is thinking, that can help in troubled times.

An FGM clinic Closes.

I have discovered today that a clinic specialising in FGM, a lifeline for a great number of Women suffering from this barbaric practice, is closing. This was at a doctors' surgery in Acton and a lifeline to many women in that area. Ealing Council is closing their Well Women clinic which was a great support.for that area. So where is the closest clinic? There needs to be a series of clinics for this problem which is a hidden but a growing problem. There is a rumour that this clinic may stay open as there are so many people that were horrified by this and so many families it affected.

Little irritations

• On Phones: I was with Initiatives of Change at the weekend and was amazed how the MOBILE phone had taken over.  A friend said at meal times they had to leave their mobiles in another room, so they could eat together.
• On Women's rights: It is difficult at this time and working in the Middle East for women to have the same rights as some men. I was listening to someone on Radio 4 this morning who was writing songs and she felt that the music business was totally man driven and that people took no notice of what women thought. The ladies who became Suffragettes laid down their lives to get the vote.
• On Organophosphates: Andy Burnham MP was looking into the effects Organophosphates have on any one who has sheep dipped. He was the only person that highlighted this problem which effected a small but unheard section of the farming population. There are many that have taken their own lives because of how it had effected their lives. 
• On FMG: How FGM had been such a pivotal action in the being of so many families here and the middle east. It needs to outlawed world wide. I even met someone in London who was saying this last week!

Lets hope that for most it is
A Happy New Year ! ! !
Veronica Morris.

At last News from Nigeria!

We have been waiting so long for news of those school girls kidnapped by Boko Haram and today 21 were released, the parents were there and there! The name of the town was Chibok from where the girls  were taken. There are 190 girls still kept. The girls are among thousands of adults and children who had been abducted by Boko Haram.
Negotiation with the Nigerian government had been complicated by the splits within Boko Haram.
Isis with which this group is affiliated  with, they too have removed a couple of activists.
Since they have, they were an armed group and controlled a swath of land the size of Belgium at the start of 2015, but Nigeria's army has recaptured most of the territory, so what will happen next?