A Chibok schoolgirl who escaped from Boko Haram militants in Nigeria has called on the international community not to forget those still in captivity. Next month will mark the third anniversary of the abduction of more than 270 girls. The militants are still holding about 195 of the young women.
The pupil, speaking under a pseudonym, told an education conference in Dubai: "These girls are human beings, not something that we can forget about." The abduction of the schoolgirls in north-eastern Nigeria in April 2014 by the Islamist militant group caused a global outcry - and prompted campaigns about girls' right to education.
But almost three years later most of the abducted Chibok schoolgirls are still being held by kidnappers. One of the girls who had been seized, using the pseudonym "Sa'a" to protect her identity, said the "world has to do something" to rescue her school friends. "How would you feel if your daughter or wife was missing? Not one day or two, but three years. It's very painful," she told the Global Education and Skills Forum.
She said that some of the parents of the abducted girls had died and the others were traumatised by their long wait. Last autumn, 21 of the young women were returned. But Sa'a told the conference of her disappointment that the majority still remained in captivity. "I remember those girls, but their dreams are now no more," she said, recalling their plans for their careers and future lives.