MADRID (Sputnik) — On May 22, 2013, Spanish nun Maria Jesus Garcia was subjected to harassment and violence when Boko Haram Islamists attacked the Nigerian town of Ganye, where she was staying as part of a religious mission. The nun was saved by the Nigerian intelligence agency and managed to leave the country.
Just in: AFP reports that the Nigerian military has rescued 200 girls from Boko Haram stronghold.
— Julie Lenarz (@MsIntervention) April 28, 2015
Boko Haram is accused of terrorism and crimes against humanity. The group, “carries out planned and systematic attacks on the civilian population of Nigeria,” Cameroon, Chad and Niger to establish an Islamic state, Spanish newspaper El Mundo quoted Delgado as stating.
#Nigeria: Hundreds of Boko Haram Victims Found Dead http://t.co/rYp6jgZCaB pic.twitter.com/G4gczGc0Uf
— Democracy Now! (@democracynow) April 28, 2015
The prosecutor also cited other examples of the militants’ attacks, such as the abduction and possible murder of 276 Chibok school girls in April 2014.
Spain is the first country to open legal proceedings against Boko Haram. The decision to accept or reject the claim will be taken by the judge of the National Audience of Spain, Fernando Andreu.
Boko Haram just killed hundreds of people in a new attack. Hundreds. http://t.co/imEmusrLgK
— Musa Okwonga (@Okwonga) April 28, 2015
In 2009, Boko Haram initiated military operations in Nigeria in order to impose Islamic rule in the country. Since its insurgency, 15,000 people have been killed and over a million others have been displaced, with 168,000 having fled to neighboring countries.
The militant group, notorious for mass killings and kidnappings, currently operates in the border regions of four Western African countries — Nigeria, Niger, Chad and Cameroon.
