Six months after Boko Haram abducted more than 200 girls from a school in Chibok, Nigeria's military confirmed on Friday that a ceasefire has been reached with the Islamic militants, which guarantees the release of the kidnapped girls, Reuters reported.
In the aftermath of the kidnapping in the north-eastern town of Chibok in Borno state, some of the abducted girls had managed to escape during times of militant fighting, but a majority of them had remained missing. In exchange for the girls, the group had been demanding the release of detained extremists, Sky News reported.
The truce was announced by Nigeria's chief of defense staff, Alex Badeh, at the close of a three-day security meeting between Nigeria and Cameroon. "A ceasefire agreement has been concluded between the Federal Government of Nigeria and the Jama'atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda'awati wal Jihad (Boko Haram)," he said.
"I have accordingly directed the service chiefs to ensure immediate compliance with this development in the field."
An agreement to end hostilities with the Islamist group had been sealed after a month of negotiations in neighboring Chad, with the country's president Idriss Deby mediating negotiations, Hassan Tukur, the president's principal secretary, told Agence France-Presse.
"Boko Haram issued the ceasefire as a result of the discussions we have been having with them," he said, adding that arrangements for the release will be finalized at another meeting next week in Chad's capital, Ndjamena.
"They've assured us they have the girls and they will release them," he added. "I am cautiously optimistic."
"We are monitoring the news with huge expectations," members of the Bring Back Our Girls campaign said in a tweet on Friday.
However, there has been no public statement by Boko Haram yet.
Meanwhile, "many Nigerians are extremely skeptical about the announcement, especially as there has been no definitive word from the jihadists," according to BBC News. "Some question whether the announcement was in any way timed to coincide with the imminent announcement that President Goodluck Jonathan is going to run for re-election."
Boko Haram is known for encouraging a version of Islam which makes it "haram," or forbidden, for Muslims to take part in any political or social activity associated with Western society.
It frequently attacks schools and colleges, which it sees as a symbol of Western culture.
