For the first time in Nigerian history, an incumbent president lost during democratic election. But the real history was made when Goodluck Jonathan conceded to his rival, ensuring that the country will enjoy its first peaceful transition of power and possibly new hope in the fight against Boko Haram
17-year old Malala Yousafzai was herself a victim of terrorism, when a Taliban hitman tried to kill her for supporting girls' education in Pakistan. Today, she met with Nigeria's President Goodluck Jonathan and relatives of the kidnapped girls to add her voice, and pressure, to the call of "bring back our girls."
This weekend, there were competing images over whether Nigeria's government is serious about fighting Boko Haram and rescuing the girls who were kidnapped. Nigeria's president cancelled his only planned trip to the scene of the kidnapping, but then attended a summit in Paris where he and neighboring leaders pledged to work together.
There's hashtag activism, and then there's actually figuring out how to rescue the Nigerian girls kidnapped last month by the Boko Haram. The latter is proving difficult and is revealing the limits of American power and the tensions in Washington's relationship with Nigeria.
A video released on Monday by the Islamist extremist group Boko Haram seems to shows some of the kidnapped girls for the first time. About a 100 of them appear on screen, wearing a full body veil, but with their faces visible. Also on the video, Boko Haram's leader says the girls will remain captive until the government releases some of the group's jailed fighters.
Demonstrations in front of Nigerian embassies, the ubiquitous #BringBackOurGirls hashtag, and charges that the Nigerian military had advance notice of the Boko Haram attack that ended in the kidnapping of more than 200 girls has the Nigerian government on the defensive.
The kidnapping of more than 250 schoolgirls from their villages in the north of Nigeria has brought international attention to Boco Haram, the military group responsible for the abductions. Negotiating to release the girls, however, will become a delicate balance.
The abduction of nearly 300 girls by an Islamist group called Boko Haram took place just as the South Korea ferry disaster happened — so the Western media ignored it. This is about to change.
Technically, it's been illegal to be gay in Nigeria since the country's independence from Britain in 1960. But the wording was vague and the law was hard to enforce. Now a new law just signed by Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan creates an effective dragnet with the ability to arrest any Nigerian who is gay or who supports or advocates on any issues related to homosexuality.
A great musician from Nigeria died Wednesday, guitarist Fatai Rolling Dollar. He was known for performing the style known as 'highlife.'
Host Lisa Mullins speaks with former State Department official Todd Moss about Chinese and US investment in Africa as Secretary of State Hillary Clinton visits the continent this week.