Nigeria asks U.N. al Qaeda committee to blacklist Boko Haram

20/05/2014 - 15:06

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Nigeria has formally asked the U.N. Security Council al Qaeda sanctions committee to blacklist the Islamist militant group Boko Haram after the kidnapping of hundreds of schoolgirls, a U.N. diplomat said on Tuesday.

If there are no objections from the 15-member council committee, which operates by consensus, Boko Haram will be sanctioned at 3 p.m. EDT (8 p.m. BST) on Thursday, the diplomat said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

(Reporting by Michelle Nichols Editing by Louis Charbonneau and James Dalgleish)