The spokes person of Switzerland Foreign Ministry Noemie Charton said Switzerland took part in negotiations that secured the release of 82 girls kid
The spokes person of Switzerland Foreign Ministry Noemie Charton said Switzerland took part in negotiations that secured the release of 82 girls kidnapped by Nigerian terror group Boko Haram.
He said the country took part at the request of Nigeria and due to humanitarian concerns. Charton added that Switzerland is calling on the release of the rest of the Chibok girls still held captive by the group.
Details of the negotiations that resulted in the release of the girls have not been disclosed and little is known about the identity of the prisoners.
However, David Otto, security analyst and counter-terrorism expert who said his company TGS Consulting was involved in negotiations said the prisoners are influential Boko Haram commanders.
“Their roles have never been officially established except that Boko Haram required their release in exchange,” he said.
Ryan Cummings, director of political and security risk management consultancy, Signal Risk, told IBTimes UK: “It is difficult to speculate the impact that the release of the detained commanders would have on the operational capacity of the sect, given that we do not know the identities of the operatives released as a result of the hostage exchange.
