The South African government Tuesday appealed to the global community, the African Union (AU) and the Nigerian government to do whatever they can for the release of over 200 girls abducted by Boko Haram, a Nigerian radical group.
"Now is the time to mobilise governments, civil society and other stakeholders to stop this war on women and girls and to fight for an Africa that respects the rights of all people without distinction," Xinhua quoted South African Minister of Social Development Bathabile Dlamini as saying.
The girls were abducted by a Nigerian man claiming to be Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau. He later threatened to sell the girls in a video.
Dlamini said the words used by the man "are indicative of the horrors facing the abducted school girls in the biggest country in Africa".
"While our immediate concerns are with the terrified young girls and their families we need to tackle the underlying factors that sustain these kinds of crimes," she said.