BRUSSELS
European Union foreign ministers denounced Monday the recent civilian killings in Nigeria and the abduction of hundreds of schoolgirls by the insurgent group, Boko Haram.
Releasing a written statement following Monday's foreign affairs council meeting in Brussels, the ministers expressed deep concerns saying "The council strongly condemns the indiscriminate killing of hundreds of civilians and the abduction of more than 200 schoolgirls in Borno State. These acts represent an attack against human rights and dignity."
The ministers also demanded for the "immediate and unconditional" release of the school girls and that those responsible be brought to justice in the statement.
On April 14 militants from Boko Haram stormed a school in the town of Chibokin in the country's northeast Borno State and loaded hundreds of schoolgirls onto trucks before driving away unchallenged.
Boko Haram, which means "Western education is forbidden" in Nigeria's local Hausa language, first emerged in the early 2000s preaching against government misrule and corruption. The group later became violent after the death of its leader in 2009 while in police custody.
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