World

Schoolgirls' parents appeal to UN

21:29 pm on 3 January 2015

The parents of 200 Nigerian schoolgirls kidnapped by Islamist rebels in April say they are appealing directly to the UN after losing hope that the government will rescue their daughters.

Mothers of the missing schoolgirls abducted by Boko Haram Islamists gather to receive infomations from officials on 5 May 2014. Photo: AFP

A group lobbying for government action on behalf of the parents met with UN officials last month.

The group has also appealed to Unicef - but it is not clear what any UN agency could do without Nigerian government approval.

More than eight months since the abduction of the girls from Chibok, in remote north-eastern Borno state, parents said they were still in the dark about what the government was doing.

Boko Haram militants raided the girls' school while they were taking exams and loaded 270 of them onto trucks. About 50 escaped shortly afterwards.