CALGARY- In central Africa, a group considered terrorists by many has slaughtered citizens, kidnapped women and children and burned entire villages.
A Cochrane couple who spent years living and working in Nigeria are doing what they can to help victims caught in the violence.
Judy Sterner and her husband know one thing for sure, people are dying while their villages burn and others are barely getting by in refugee camps in bordering countries. The world took notice when nearly 300 girls were kidnapped from a boarding school but since then, international interest has waned.
It’s hard to know exactly what’s going on day to day in northeastern Nigeria where most of the fighting is taking place. Boco Haram controlled regions are off limits to journalists.
“Sometimes it seems like the Nigerian army is able to retake some of the towns, so it seems day to day it’s hard to tell what’s going on,” Judy Sterner says.
“America has declared this is not high on their list of priorities. Canada has no strategic interest in central Africa, I don’t think,” Nicholas David said.
Several countries have pledged assistance but Nicholas David says so far nothing’s been done, so they’re taking matters into their own hands establishing “Boko Haram victims relief,” a non-profit foundation.
“We’ve sent money just to help out, because people need to eat, they need to be clothed,” Sterner said.
The couple says the situation is worsening as Nigerians caught in the middle of the conflict face starvation and disease.
“I fear a real crisis because they have not been able to look after their agriculture properly,” David said.
Boko Horam is made up of Islamic extremists and has been linked to Al-Qaeda and ISIS.
It wants to overthrow the Nigerian government and impose fundamentalist Islamic law.
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