Nigeria abducted girls: France opens summit on Boko Haram threat

 

A security summit has opened in Paris on the threat from Boko Haram Islamists, after they abducted more than 200 schoolgirls in Nigeria in April.

Nigeria's President Goodluck Jonathan, who is attending the talks, had to call off a visit to the town where the girls were seized for security reasons.

As West African leaders arrived, reports emerged of suspected Boko Haram attack in Cameroon.
Ten people are reported missing.

One person was hurt when militants attacked a Chinese camp near Cameroon's porous with north-eastern Nigeria.

Those missing had been working for Chinese company Sinohydro, China's state news agency Xinhua reported.

Militants have staged several attacks in Cameroon; last year they kidnapped several members of a French family, who were later released.


Boko Haram released a video earlier this week showing more than 100 of the girls and offering an exchange for prisoners. Their relatives have called for their unconditional release.

The girls, a mixture of Christians and Muslims, were seized on 14 April from their school hostel in the north-east Nigerian town of Chibok in Borno state.
President Jonathan has ruled out negotiations over their possible release, government officials say.
'Fresh strategies'

UK Foreign Secretary William Hague says Nigeria must work with its neighbours to tackle Boko Haram

French President Francois Hollande was to open the Saturday's summit, and the leaders of Nigeria's neighbours - Benin, Cameroon, Niger and Chad - were scheduled to attend the talks. Representatives from the UK, US and EU were also taking part.

A statement before the summit said delegates at the meeting will "discuss fresh strategies for dealing with the security threat posed by Boko Haram and other terrorist groups in West and Central Africa".
UK Foreign Secretary William Hague told the BBC from Paris that Cameroon and Nigeria in particular had an important role to play in pooling their intelligence.

"There are many borders here and they are porous. The first focus of everything we're doing is about the girls now, but that requires these countries to work together. Cameroon and Nigeria... have not enjoyed strong positive relations in recent years."
Mr Hollande discussed the issue on Friday in a phone call with US President Barack Obama.