[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 138 (Thursday, September 24, 2015)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6933-S6934]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




REQUIRING A REGIONAL STRATEGY TO ADDRESS THE THREAT POSED BY BOKO HARAM

  Ms. COLLINS. Mr. President, I wish to praise Senate passage earlier 
this week of legislation I authored, S. 1632, to help combat the threat 
posed by the Boko Haram terrorist group. I am hopeful that our 
colleagues in the House will pass the bill quickly so that it can go to 
the President's desk for signature.
  Boko Haram is a notorious terrorist organization. Less well known, 
however, is what the name means: ``Western education is forbidden.'' 
This descriptive moniker helps explain the organization's determination 
to terrorize young girls who seek an education--girls who seek nothing 
more than a better life and a path to independence.
  Following the horrific kidnapping of 276 girls more than a year ago, 
Boko Haram has continued to commit barbaric acts of violence against 
civilians. According to the Congressional Research Service, Boko Haram 
may have killed more than 11,000 people, with more than 5,500 people 
killed in 2014 alone. Boko Haram has also pledged allegiance to ISIS, a 
fellow terrorist organization, in an attempt to further their reach and 
increase their ability to intimidate the citizens of Nigeria, Chad, 
Cameroon, and Niger. We cannot sit idly by while Boko Haram continues 
to terrorize women, girls, and religious minorities in these African 
nations.
  Last year, in response to the kidnapping of the schoolgirls, I worked 
with Senator Barbara Mikulski and garnered the support of all 20 women 
Senators in urging Secretary of State John Kerry to seek Boko Haram's 
addition to the United Nations al-Qaeda Sanctions List. Following this 
letter, the United Nations Security Council voted to subject Boko Haram 
to a complete asset freeze, travel ban, and arms embargo.
  This year, I am again leading a bipartisan legislative effort to 
address the threats posed by Boko Haram. Specifically, my bipartisan 
bill, which now awaits consideration in the House of Representatives, 
calls on the U.S. Departments of State and Defense and their relevant 
partners to work together in creating a 5-year strategy to

[[Page S6934]]

counter these increasing threats. Cosponsored by 18 of my Senate 
colleagues, this bill also signals a renewed congressional commitment 
to combatting Boko Haram and bolstering U.S. efforts throughout the 
region.
  While I am pleased that this legislation and previous efforts 
continue to move us forward in the fight against Boko Haram, more must 
be done. I will continue to work with my colleagues to create and enact 
legislation aimed at countering the violence and terror spread by Boko 
Haram.
  We have a window of opportunity to change the course of the fight 
against this intensifying terrorist threat, and we must seize the 
opportunity. We must also ensure that the United States, as a world 
leader, is providing the assistance necessary to make this strategy 
successful.
  We must never forget that the girls of Nigeria were targeted simply 
because they chose to pursue an education. We must send a message to 
women and girls around the world that their safety and well-being 
matters, that everyone deserves the opportunity to seek an education. 
We must also send a clear message to Boko Haram that their appalling 
acts of violence have no place in this world.

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