Aisha Wakil a 44 year old female lawyer and activist has been at the fore front of brokering for peace between the Nigerian government and the Boko Haram group, the extremist group responsible for massive violence in Northern Nigeria.
Here close ties to their members and the ability to talk to them has earned her the title “Mama Boko Haram”. The fighters see her as a mother figure and also call her Um el Salam [Arabic for mother of peace].
As resident of Shehuri North district of Maiduguri, the capital of Borno State, a former stronghold of the group, she has been close to death in the cause of her duty, once she was caught up in crossfire between the rebel fighters and government forces when she went for talks in an area controlled the military.
In interview with Aljazeera, reveals how she made her initial contact with the group, stating that she had a close relationship with late leader of the sect, Mohammed Yusuf who was killed while trying to escape from police custody in 2009.
“I would visit his house regularly and always cooked food to bring to the almajaris [pupils] of the Quranic school,” Aisha said.
“Yusuf would always be there preaching and he liked my cooking very much, especially my egusi soup. He prayed that Almighty Allah would reward me because so many were eating from my pot, and that was how we established a close relationship. The boys called me ‘mum’. Many of them didn’t have mothers.”
The late leader confided in her on his intent to wage war against the government, only a meeting with the erstwhile governor of Borno state, Ali Sheriff could save the situation but he was killed before the meeting could hold
The group call is for members to shun western education and the implementation (Sharia) Islamic law across Nigeria.
On the abducted school girls, said the girls have been separated in different groups and that the girls are hungry and sick as their captors have run out of supplied only administering antibiotics to them.
The group told her their condition for release of the girls that the government should free their members in prison.
“And they want to be given amnesty, rehabilitated, and allowed to come back home and move freely,” she added. “I told them not to hold the girls as ransom and to give me the sick ones – and that was where we ended up. The girls are a growing burden to them, and if the demands are not met …”
“I’m still with them after all these years because I didn’t betray them. I didn’t betray the government, I didn’t betray the military – I’m just in the middle grasping for peace.”
Aisha is not in support of the groups’ action but taking up a motherly role for “Nigeria’s lost boys” as she calls the fighters. She prays the government give the group attention and a room for dialogue.
[via: Al Jazeera]
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