Pakistani rights activist Malala Yousafzai has met Nigeria's
President Goodluck Jonathan to press for more action to free at least 200 girls
held by Boko Haram Islamist militants.
The militants' leader has reiterated in a new video message
that he is prepared to negotiate a prisoner swap for them.
He also expressed support for Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the
self-declared caliph of a new Middle Eastern state.
Boko Haram sparked a global outcry when it abducted the
girls three months ago.
'Birthday wish'
Mr Jonathan's government has faced strong criticism for not
doing enough to curb violence by Boko Haram, especially in the wake of the
kidnappings.
Malala met Mr Jonathan in the Nigerian capital, Abuja, and
urged him to meet the families of the kid She met relatives of the girls on
Sunday, and expressed solidarity with them.
BBC Nigeria correspondent Tomi Oladipo says it is highly
unusual that the president has not spoken to the relatives, exactly three
months after the abductions.
The military has also failed to debrief some of the girls
who managed to escape from captivity, he says.
But in a statement after his meeting with Malala, President
Jonathan said he would meet with the parents before they left Abuja "to
personally comfort them and reassure them" that the government was doing
"all within its powers to rescue their daughters".
The notion that the government has not been doing enough to
find and rescue the girls was "very wrong and misplaced", the
statement said.
"Terror is relatively new here and dealing with it has
its challenges. The great challenge in rescuing the Chibok girls is the need to
ensure that they are rescued alive," Mr Jonathan said.
After meeting the parents, Malala said she understood their
suffering.
"It's quite difficult for a parent to know that their
daughter is in great danger. My birthday wish this year is... bring back our
girls now, and alive."kidnapped girls.
Two years ago, Malala was shot in the head by Pakistani
Taliban militants for campaigning for girls' education.
She survived after being airlifted to the UK for treatment.
Attacks
On Sunday, Boko Haram's leader Abubakar Shekau released a
video mocking the "Bring Back Our Girls" social media campaign
pressing for the release of the more than 200 girls it is holding captive.
Underlining Boko Haram's offer for a prisoner swap, he
promoted his own slogan: "Bring Back Our Army".
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