Boko Haram frees 21 kidnapped Chibok girls

Around 270 girls were taken from their school in Chibok in the remote northeastern Borno state, where Boko Haram has waged a seven-year insurgency aimed at creating an Islamic state, killing thousands and displacing more than 2 million people. "I met them about an hour ago and I can confirm they are in good health," Nigerian Vice President Yemi Osinbajo said after meeting the 21 released girls, who were brought from the northeastern city of Maiduguri to the capital Abuja. Their release, a boost for the government of President Muhammadu Buhari, came after the Red Cross and the Swiss government brokered a deal with the group, officials said. Dozens had escaped in the initial melee in 2014, but more than 200 girls are still missing. 

The kidnapping prompted outrage worldwide and the girls' plight was publicised using a Twitter hashtag, #bringbackourgirls. "In the next few days or months we will be able to negotiate the release of more of the girls," Osinbajo told reporters. A picture released by a presidency official showed one of the girls holding a baby when they met Osinbajo. Officials have accused Boko Haram of having married off the girls to its followers. 

Switzerland facilitated contacts between Nigerian representatives and intermediaries of Boko Haram after a request from Abuja, a Swiss government spokeswoman said. In recent days, the Nigerian military has been carrying out a large-scale offensive in the Sambisa forest, a stronghold of Boko Haram, which last year pledged loyalty to the Islamic State militant group. Boko Haram controlled a swathe of land around the size of Belgium at the start of 2015, but Nigeria's Army, aided by troops from neighbouring countries, has recaptured most of the territory.