Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

North Korea Fires Missile From Submarine; Kasich and Cruz Work Together to Deny Trump Delegates; U.S. to Deploy Additional 250 Troops to Syria; Violence in Syria Spreads; Bangladesh Police Detain Student linked to Hacking Death; Nigerian Army Moving to Believed Hideout of Boko Haram; International Aid Organizations to Help Nepalese Orphanages. Aired 12-1a ET

Aired April 25, 2016 - 00:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[00:00:12] JOHN VAUSE, CNN ANCHOR: This is "CNN NEWSROOM," live from Los Angeles; ahead this hour:

ISHA SESAY, CNN ANCHOR: Force multiplied, the U.S. is about to announce another 250 Special Ops fighters heading to Syria to help local militias in their battles with ISIS.

VAUSE: Effectively successful; North Koreans have fired a missile from a sub, sparking another round of international condemnation of Pyongyang.

SESAY: And double trouble; Republican John Kasich and Ted Cruz confirmed they're working together to deny Donald Trump a delegate majority and the party's nomination for U.S. president.

VAUSE: Hello, everybody; great to have you with us. We'd like to welcome our viewers all around the world; I'm John Vause.

SESAY: And I'm Isha Sesay; "NEWSROOM" L.A. starts right now.

In the stepped up effort to reclaim territory from ISIS militants, the U.S. will send an additional 250 Special Operations Forces to Syria. President Barack Obama is expected to make the announcement in the coming hours in Germany.

VAUSE: U.S. officials say it's part of an effort to get more Syrian- Arab forces to join the fight in northern areas being defended by the Kurds right now. The new U.S. troops will join 50 others already advising and assisting local fighters there for the past few months.

SESAY: Well, two allies in the battle against ISIS and Iraq are fighting each other, with deadly results. At least 22 fighters were killed in clashes between the Kurdish Peshmerga and Shi'ite militia members in northern Iraq. Officials say the fighting erupted when shared Shi'ite militias attacked the Peshmerga officer's home. Kurdish forces retaliated and fighting spread across several areas.

VAUSE: Joining us now for more, CNN Intelligence and Security Analyst Bob Baer and CNN Military Analyst Lieutenant Colonel Rick Francona. Thank you both for being with us. Rick, first you, these additional troops are apparently there to help these Sunni Arab commanders. It's being described as a "drop, op assess." Can you explain how that works?

LT. COL. RICK FRANCONA (RET.), CNN MILITARY ANALYST, via satellite: Yes, sure. This is additional Special Forces. When all is said and done, by the time they deploy, there'll be about 300 there; that's about a battalion of Special Forces. Now put this into context, this is 18 A-Teams. They'll be working at the battalion level with the Syrian Democratic Forces.

Now that doesn't sound like a lot of people, but the capability they bring is huge. They'll be working with the local commanders. They'll be providing intelligence, support, training, logistics, communications; but more importantly, they're going to be controlling U.S. air power, and that's going to be a real force multiplier for these troops as they take on ISIS. They've already been very successful there; this will just up the ante.

As you know, what we're trying to do is separate the two enclaves, the Mosul enclave in Iraq and the al-Raqqa enclave in Syria by working out there in the Hasakah Province in eastern Syria. this is a real, -- this is a welcome step for the President. I applaud him for doing that.

VAUSE: Hey, Bob, one of the other goals here is to try to get more Sunni Arabs to fight alongside the Kurds, to take on ISIS in the northeast part of Syria? Why are the Sunnis here so reluctant to take this fight to ISIS?

BOB BAER, CNN INTELLIGENCE AND SECURITY ANALYST, via satellite: Well, John, look at it this way: they are under attack today, Sunday, all across Syria. In Hama, Homs, and even around Aleppo. So the way they're looking at it, they're fighting the Russians, the Syrian army and Hezbollah, Lebanese Hezbollah and they simply don't have the energy, the weapons, or the rest of it to join in in a fight against the Islamic State. It's not they're aligned with the Islamic State; it's they're preoccupied.

The real problem with sending U.S. troops is there's no end game. Yes, they're going to help a lot and, yes, we probably could help take Raqqa, but at the end of the day, without some sort of political settlement for Syria, this is going to end up just being a Band-Aid on a gaping wound.

VAUSE: And Rick, over to you on that, what is the end game here? Where do you see all of this going? You know, the question, and then what?

FRANCONA: Well, and I think that's key in Syria; it's also key in Iraq. You know, the three of us have talked about this before, what happens after? Let's assume that the Iraqi Army is capable of going up the Tigris Valley, liberating Mosul, kicking ISIS out, forcing them back into Syria; then what happens? You have this Sunni struggle that's ongoing. If you look at the fighting today, in Iraq, in Karmatu, where you had

all of these killings, with the Shi'a going after the Peshmerga, these weren't the Arab Shi'a; these are Turkmen. The big fight there is what happens afterwards? What happens to Kirkuk? What happens to Mosul? So step one is the liberation of Mosul. Step two is, how do we put Iraq back together?

So what is the end game? The end game has to be how to reconstitute Iraq as a real country, and this is going to be a decade's long struggle.

[00:05:02] VAUSE: Yes; I want to get to the situation in Iraq in a moment, but, Bob, very quickly, also have the situation with the Kurds, which is why the Americans are so keen to be getting this Sunnis' into the fight here. Why are the Turks so worried about the role that the Kurds are playing right now, and their close relationship with the Americans?

BAER: Well, the problem, John, is the Kurds are an independent state; and right now, they're broke. They're not getting any oil income. So we proposed supporting them financially and with weapons, and if that happens. this greater Kurdistan is a real threat to Turkey. I mean, you know, they don't necessarily support an Islamic State, but as Rick has said, the Turks are saying, what's the end game? Are we creating a new Kurdish state? Is Iraq going to be divided up between Sunni Shi'a and Kurds; and, is Syria going to be divided up?

Look, this whole region is as chaotic as it's ever been and, unless the super powers, the United States, Iran and Russia, all get together, including Turkey, we're going to still have chaos.

VAUSE: Very quickly, Bob, last question to you because Rick touched on this, the situation in Iraq. You've got the militias fighting each other. You've got the Shi'ite militia going up against the Kurds. Is that an isolated problem or is that just sort of symbolic of the huge problems of the sectarian and the ethnic divisions within Iraq; and once they stop fighting is, they're going to start fighting each other?

BAER: Absolutely; Rick's absolutely right. Kirkuk and the oil there, a million barrels a day, is going to be a prize that everybody's going to fight for. I don't see the Kurds giving it up without a serious fight. You have all these ethnic group and you have also a failed government in Baghdad. I mean, you've got Mutada al-Sadar is tomorrow going to move against the government, giant protests. You know, you have to look at Iraq as a failed state and I think we can just expect to continue this war there unless some miracle comes along.

VAUSE: Okay; Bob, thank you. Bob Baer and Colonel Rick Francona, our military analyst and Bob our security analyst. Appreciate you both being with us; thank you.

SESAY: All right, then; we're staying in the region. There is deepening concern about the renewed bombing of rebel-held areas in the Syrian city of Aleppo. VAUSE: Thousands of Syrians have tried to find safety in a Turkish town, but as Nick Paton Walsh reports, the violence is following them across the border.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NICK PATON WALSH, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: This is Day 55 of Syria's cessation of hostilities for those who live in Aleppo. No military target here, activists said, an inferno, many of the 12 dead, burned alive.

Zahir is dead, he says.

It's much the same on day 56; another building in Aleppo hit. U.S. officials troubled. The Russian heavy-weapons are amassing near the city; and whatever the ceasefire was is crumbling.

OBAMA: I am deeply concerned about the cessation of hostilities frame, and whether it's sustainable.

WALSH: But Syria's world is slowly crossing the border to one town in southern Turkey. Kilis, hit by rockets almost daily in the past weeks, five from Syria, probably by ISIS, who were never part of the ceasefire.

This woman sat here when the rockets tore through her roof. A Syrian family scrambling now to life on the floor below. This used to be their shelter, their respite.

UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN: The Syrian's fled. They took refuge here, but bombs are also reigning on their heads. The government keeps saying shelter in your house, but didn't it fall on our house, on our roof now? So where are we supposed to go?

WALSH: It is staggering that during this supposed cessation of hostilities across the border there in Syria, that the war is spreading, even to a peaceful Turkish town like this, a haven for refugees that now finds itself, pretty much every other day, hit by rocket fire.

Fresh rockets have just whizzed over this, the funeral of a local plumber (Inaudible), killed Friday also by a rocket. Rage is against the government. Where are they?

UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN, via translator: Bombs are falling on everyone's homes. Where are you, President Erdogan? Where are you? A bomb fell on our house. Is this what you promised?

[00:10:01] WALSH: Another rocket strike here, five Syrian children injured. The shattered places where they once slept, the dust, the rubble from what they fled; but now, it has followed them here.

Nick Paton Walsh, CNN, Kilis.

(END VIDEO CLIP) VAUSE: Brussels is reopening the Maalbeek Metro Station where 20 people were killed in last month's terror attacks. This is the first time since the attacks that all Brussels metro stations will be opened.

SESAY: A condolence wall will also be unveiled at the station for people to write tribute. ISIS claimed responsibilities for the attacks which targeted the metro and Brussels airport. In all 32 people were killed and more than 300 injured.

Syria, security, refugees, and trade will all be on the agenda when President Obama meets with several European leaders in Germany Monday.

Barack Obama and Chancellor Angela Merkel opened a trade fair late Sunday, in the City of Hannover. They're trying to boost support for a U.S./EU trade deal. Mr. Obama also praised Chancellor Merkel on the issue of Syrian refugees saying she's on the right side of history.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I want to once again commend Angela for her courageous leadership, as Germany and Europe respond to migrants who are desperately fleeing the Syrian conflict and conflicts elsewhere in the region. Perhaps because she once lived behind a wall herself, Angela understands the aspirations of those who have been denied their freedom and who seek a better life.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

Well, Mr. Obama did restate his doubt about safe zones for refugees in Syria, something Chancellor Merkel favors.

VAUSE: Now to the race for the White House and an extraordinary move in the last couple of hours in the Republican campaign. Ted Cruz and John Kasich say they're working against the Party Front-runner, Donald Trump.

SESAY: This quite extraordinary. The candidates each released statements saying they'll divide their efforts in upcoming contests. They hope to keep Trump from getting the delegates he needs to win the republican nomination. Cruz says he'll focus on Indiana, while Kasich devotes his efforts to Oregon and New Mexico.

Well just minutes ago, Donald Trump tweeted this, "Wow, just announced that Lyin' Ted and Kasich are going to collude in order to keep me from getting the Republican nomination. Desperation."

VAUSE: Republican Consultant John Thomas joins us now on the phone for more on this. So, John, this just happened in the last hour or so. It is significant; would you say desperate times call for desperate measures?

JOHN THOMAS, REPUBLICAN CONSULTANT (via telephone): That's exactly what I'd say. The fact is, after New York, we're seeing that Trump's inevitability is starting to pick up even more steam and I think what you're seeing, at least what the campaigns are saying, is that in states like Indiana, Trump has a six-point lead, with both Kasich and Cruz on the ballot. So they've got to do something to switch it up and this is the last ditch effort to do something drastic.

VAUSE: Very quickly, has this ever happened, anything like this ever happen on the Republican side of politics, or just politics in general in the U.S.?

THOMAS: We haven't seen this level before. We've seen it in other primary contests, not presidential. Let's remember, the other reason they made this public was to signal to the Super PACS that are supporting Kasich and Cruz to readjust their strategy and not waste money, like attacking Kasich in Indiana.

Look, the other final thing I'll say is that California was not mentioned in their press release. so what -- I'm guessing it's shotgun, whoever calls it first gets it?

VAUSE: I guess we'll wait and see, a lot to talk about in the coming days, John. Thanks for being with us.

THOMAS: Thanks, john.

SESAY: It is quite extraordinary.

VAUSE: It is amazing. This campaign has twists and turns that you never see coming.

SESAY: All right; let's talk about North Korea. North Korea's submarine missile launch is drawing major backlash from world leaders. Barack Obama called the test a provocation, adding that he's taking their progress very seriously.

VAUSE: The U.S. president says North Korea is learning more with each test, whether it succeeds or fails. The French Foreign Ministry also speaking out, calling on the EU to impose new sanctions on Pyongyang.

SESAY: All right; well, we're joined now by our own Paula Hancocks in Seoul, as well as Phillip Yun, who was an advisor on North Korea to former President Bill Clinton. Great to have both of you with us.

Phillip, let me start with you, this submarine launched missile only flew for some 30 kilometers, much shorter than the typical distance of such projectiles. Can North Korea really claim success here?

PHILLIP YUN, FORMER ADVISOR ON NORTH KORES, PRESIDENT BILL CLINTON: Well, it's partial success. As we said before, each test they do they're going to learn something more. What's significant about this particular test is that that they achieve ignition above water. So what happened was they had some previous tests that failed. This thing basically ejected, went up above the water and then the engine turned on ignition and then it went off the flight. [00:15:01] So that's a significant step. Still aways to go before they can actually deliver something; but, again, it's progress.

SESAY: All right; so talk to me about the value, the value of a submerged launching system to North Korea. Why is this important to them?

YUN: Well, it's a sea-based system. Essentially what happens is, one, that they have, if this submarine based system actually goes online, they have a significant surprise attack capability; that's something that the United States and others would be very hard to detect. So they could just do a surprise attack.

The second thing is that it gives North Korea another missile platform. Right now they have land-based missiles which are pretty easy to detect. They are also -- the current land-based are liquid fuel, which take a long time to fuel. So you know days in advance where they're going to do something like this. With a sea-based, or a submarine-based system, you don't know where they are. So, essentially, what happens is they're basically telling people when they have this, you can go ahead and attack us, but we're going to be able to get you because you're not going to be able to destroy all of our missiles. You can destroy the land-based missiles, but not the sea-based ones.

SESAY: Phillip, standby first, I want to bring in Paula at this point. Paula, how much does this latest action alter the view of the threat North Korea poses to South Korea and the United States?

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Isha, I think it was really summed up by one U.S. official who spoke to CNN, saying that the capability of North Korea, when it comes to this sub launch capability, has gone from a joke to something serious. That really sums up exactly how concerned they are by what has happened and the jump that they see, potentially, in the capability for Pyongyang. Even the joint chiefs of staff here in Seoul didn't say it was a failure. They said it flew 30 kilometers; to be completely successful it has to fly 300 kilometers, but they stopped short of calling it a failure showing they are very concerned by this.

SESAY: Yes; and Paula, we know that France is calling for further sanctions. We've seen a statement from the U.N. Security Council warning of further significant measures against North Korea. Do we anticipate China supporting further tightening of the screws as it were, more sanctions? In fact, have we heard from Beijing?

HANCOCKS: Not directly; in just a couple hours they'll will have that press conference from the Foreign Ministry, will be listening to that. But, the fact that the U.N. Security Council condemned this launch, China is part of that. They signed that statement along everyone with else. That in itself is telling, but whether or not they would support further sanctions we don't know. Certainly from what we've been hearing from Washington and South Korea, is they want to give these sanctions, the ones passed in March, a chance to really kick in and really start affecting the economy there.

SESAY: Phillip, if I could bring you back in here, as we talk about China and yet, the silence, I mean, what are your expectations of Beijing in light of the latest action from North Korea?

YUN: I don't have a lot of expectations here. You know they say they were going to enforce these really rigorous sanctions that are coming on board. I think the larger picture here is that we have to remember is that if we continue with the status quo, North Korea, at some point, is going to get -- will have a significant nuclear arsenal that can actually hit the United States and hit its allies.

Over the short-term, what the big danger is, right now you've got 300,000 U.S. and South Korean troops, you've got a million-man army in North Korea. You've got a lot of military assets on the peninsula right now; and, you know, a missile test like this going in the wrong direction, or going off course and hitting something, can cause a series of escalations that could erupt into an unintended firefight or something larger.

So these are the short-term and the long-term issues here that we have to deal with and we have to deal with very soon.

SESAY: And one last question to you, Paula; you know, we've talked about this before, this connection that many are drawing between recent actions from North Korea and the upcoming key ruling party meeting in May, many saying that it is because of this upcoming event that we're seeing these actions take place. I guess the question is why would Kim Jong-un feel a need to demonstrate such force ahead of this gathering?

HANCOCKS: Well it's a good question. It's early May, and you see what he's done so far this year; I mean, the military, the missile, the nuclear tests have been relentless, that we've seen from North Korea but experts do believe that he may still feel the need to go to this Workers Party Congress, it's the first held since 1980, and flaunt what he has accomplishments, flaunt his achievements, so that he can consolidate power, so that he can tighten his grip on power.

There were very few who think that his grip on power at this point is that shaky, but, the fact that he has called this congress, experts are saying, shows he would like to have some recognition of what he has achieved and try

[00:20:02] and control the country even further.

SESAY: All right; Phillip Yun joining us alongside our Paula Hancocks in Seoul. Our thanks to you both. Thanks so much for a great discussion.

YUN: Thank you.

VAUSE: And we'll take a short break here, but when we come back one man is in custody, but police are still looking for answers after the brutal killing of a university professor in Bangladesh.

SESAY: Plus, CNN is taking you to the front lines of Nigeria to report on the fight to bring back hundreds of missing schoolgirls abducted by Boko Haram.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SESAY: Police in Bangladesh have detained a student linked to the hacking death of a professor. They say the victim was ambushed and stabbed in the neck at a bus stop Saturday. There is no word yet on a motive.

VAUSE: But ISIS claimed the attack and says the professor was promoting atheism. Authorities say the professor was not an anti- Islamic campaigner and former students say he did not have political ties.

SESAY: Well investigator journalist Saad Hammadi joins me now from Dhaka, Bangladesh with the latest. Saad, good to have you with us.

As we just mentioned, there is a student in custody; that's our understanding. Do we know any more? Have police released any details about the individual and what apparent connection they may have to this killing?

SAAD HAMMADI, INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALIST: The police have arrested an Islamist Party (inaudible). This person has been arrested on suspicion. We don't have much information as of yet, but they're interrogating, investigating the case. That's what (inaudible) so far.

SESAY: The professor, Professor Siddique who was killed, you know, not a blogger, not an anti-Islamic campaigner. As you look at the situation now, what are the thoughts that are circulating as to why he was targeted in this way?

HAMMADI: See the reason bloggers and this teacher have been attacked has fit into a certain profile. It's not necessary that they have to have certain personal vendetta, those that were attacking the militants who are attacking this group of people. On most occasions, what we've noticed so far is that the bloggers are atheist and writing against religion or about atheism and promoting scientific understanding of belief system and all of that.

But in the case of Professor Karim, Professor Siddique, he had been attacked, his identity mostly stays with the cultural personality. So he kind of fits [00:25:02] into the profile, and that makes enough reason for fundamentalist groups (inaudible) good people because they want publicity in some of the newspapers and television. That's what happening.

SESAY: And ISIS, and ISIS and this claim of responsibility, is this claim seen as credible?

HAMMADI: The government says that ISIS doesn't exist in Bangladesh. The claim made has been made through Twitter and (inaudible) intelligence. Whether it's ISIS or other fundamentalist groups that are reported in Bangladesh, what's happening is that fundamentalism stays in the country and there has been attacks going on.

So far, in all these killings, none of these cases have actually found the perpetrator and none of these killers have been brought to justice. So that's what gives all of the people, the intelligence (inaudible) and the people of the country a fear of the current situation. The government, despite its claim that there is no militant in the country or the existence of IS, has not been able to prove the fact that there is (inaudible) institution in the country working and this leading to all these crimes and attacks being hatched against intelligence share like teachings and also bloggers.

SESAY: It's a very frightening situation. Saad Hammadi, we appreciate you joining us with the very latest there from Dhaka; thank you.

VAUSE: A short break and when we come back, Nigeria slowly regaining territory from Boko Haram and our Nima Elbagir joins the military on patrol as they search for the kidnapped Chibok schoolgirls.

SESAY: Plus, a year later, Nepal is recovering from a devastating earthquake. How the nation is marking the somber anniversary; coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[00:30:19] VAUSE: Welcome back, everybody; you're watching "CNN NEWSROOM" live from Los Angeles. I'm John Vause.

SESAY: And I'm Isha Sesay; the headlines this hour: U.S. President Barack Obama is expected to announce plans to send 250 more Special Operations Forces to northern Syria in the battle against ISIS militants. Officials say the troops will join 50 others in the advise and assist role. They aren't expected to engage in combat, but will be armed for self-defense.

Republicans Ted Cruz and John Kasich are working together to try to keep Donald Trump from getting their party's presidential nomination. The candidates will divide their efforts in upcoming states to block Trump from getting the majority of delegates? Trump calls the move "collusion" and "desperation."

SESAY: Now, the latest on the effort to bring back Nigeria's missing girl. It's been two years since they were abducted in Chibok by Boko Haram.

VAUSE: Our Senior International Correspondent Nima Elbagir was the first reporter to show the world "Proof of Life," this video with some of the girls who were kidnapped. Now she's on patrol with Nigerian forces, deep in the heart of the battlefield against Boko Haram. Here's her exclusive report.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NIMA ELBAGIR, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Monday market in Maiduguri, two men showing absolute panic, both suspected terrorists, quickly they say subdued.

Normality returned, but it gives you a sense of the tension here. As Boko Haram have lost their territorial footprint, or much of it, they're growing increasingly reliant on unleashing waves of suicide bombers into the heart of Maiduguri and beyond.

In a city on edge, no one is above suspicion. Maiduguri is at the heart of the Nigerian army's campaign to retake Boko Haram territory. Under Operation Lafiya Dole, "Peace by Any Means", spread out across the country's vast northeast. The road to the forest, or what's been cleared so far, relentless heat bears down on our heavily armored convoy. Soft sand, ideal hiding holes for IEDs. The scout in the lead car directing our convoy on and off the track.

Two years ago, when we visited Chibok after the mass abduction of the Chibok schoolgirls, parents described to us how they followed the trail of their daughters to the front gates, to the entry point, of the Sambisa Forest and were unable to move any further. This is the Sambisa.

The Nigerian government has been able to start clawing back territory here from Boko Haram, but the Sambisa fortress, the territory right in the center, that is still where they're moving towards; and this is where some of the Chibok girls are believed to still be held.

Let's say you're out on a patrol like this, what are your scouts looking for? Are they looking for tracks? Are they looking for -- do they specifically know that this area will have had heat signals; are you using thermal imaging? What techniques are you using to get you closer?

B.A. RAGI, BRIGADIER GENERAL, 29th TASK FORCE BRIGADE, NIGERIAN ARMY: We're allowing the Americans that have provided the ISR plane, I give some permission, as to a cluster of groups of persons. We tried to set out for Footprints; and sometimes, you see children, children, their

footprints on the ground.

ELBAGIR: As if the que a surveillance plane flies overhead, one of the eyes in the sky.

MAJOR GENERAL LEO IRABOR, OPERATIONS FORCE COMMANDER, NIGERIAN ARMY: Here, Here, and then --

ELBAGIR: Back here, the operations force commander, Major General Leo Irabor tells us he's proud of his men but they are in need of more international support.

Why do you think it's taking so long find the girls?

Well the question about the Chibok girls remains a slow point in our history. We're thinking from the intelligence available to us, that the remaining areas that we're working to move into, want to see if we're able to rescue the Chibok girls.

[00:35:01] ELBAGIR: Irabor is tasked with both following the girls two-year-old trail and waging war against Boko Haram's brutal insurgency, in the face of heightening frustration.

IRABOR: It's a huge challenge and the mandate is enormous; but currently we've (inaudible) very far in achieving those mandates.

ELBARIR: But the threat remains?

IRABOR: The threat remains, of course; just like in other areas.

ELBAGIR: The commander allowed us to join his men, moving East toward the Boko Haram front lines to see for ourselves. Boko Haram do, indeed, appear to have been pushed back but their presence lingers. Everywhere you look, scenes of devastation.

All the way throughout the journey cross country we've seen village after abandoned village devastated, destroyed. What Boko Haram couldn't loot, they attempted to burn to the ground; and people are still too afraid to come back to their homes. But the hope is that the longer the Nigerian military maintain their hold on the territory up here, the more people's confidence will grow; the more willing they'll be to return and reclaim their lives and their homes.

Nima Elbagir, CNN, Northeast Nigeria.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SESAY: Remarkable reporting from our Nima Elbagir.

VAUSE: She's done some great, great reporting out of -- on the story of the missing girls.

SESAY: She has. Turning to Nepal now, people are remembering the victims of the devastating earthquake that struck one year ago. The latest on the ongoing efforts to recover, next.

VAUSE: Also up next, we'll hear from a young man at Katmandu; I spoke to him about a year ago. He saved more than 50 kids at an orphanage. We'll find out how he's doing now, one year on.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

VAUSE: It's been a year now since a devastating earthquake killed almost 9,000 people in Nepal. Large crowds held a vigil in Katmandu. More than a million homes were destroyed or damaged in the 7.8 magnitude quake and its aftershocks.

SESAY: And Nepal is still struggling to recover and rebuild. Rubble remains in many areas, and thousands live in makeshift shelters made from plastic, tin, and bamboo.

VAUSE: Just a few days after the earthquake, I spoke with a Ishwor Ghimire, a young man at an orphanage who rounded up more than 50 children and got them outside to safety.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ISHWOR GHIMIRE, NEPAL EARTHQUAKE SURVIVOR: All children, they started crying and screaming, and I was like, oh my goodness, what we going to do now? And then I asked all the kids could run out on the building, and the girl outside and I had to carry all the other small kids who can't run. I had to carry them up on the building. So we were pretty much on our own. We haven't got any help yet. We are dealing ourselves, which is not good and we are very sad about that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: And Ishwor joins me now from Katmandu. It is nice to see you, Ishwor. The last time we spoke the kids were outside, there are no (inaudible). Back then you said you didn't have a lot of help from the authorities. So, how are things going now? Have you had much assistance there to try to get things back to normal?

[00:40:01] GHIMIRE, via satellite: Thank you, John. Yes, looking at those past years has been really a miserable year for all the Nepalese, especially for the kids at the orphanage. About the help, we didn't receive big help from the government of Nepal, but we did receive the help from the Rotary Club of (inaudible) Creek South Australia and (inaudible) Australia and also the Taiwan Red Cross, from Taiwan. So we have a -- we had received a bit of help from those organizations.

VAUSE: But it sounds like it's still pretty hard going a year on since the earthquake; and you grew up in that orphanage and now you're there. You're trying to repair the building so that it's safe?

GHIMIRE: Yes; through the help of the - through the help from the Rotary Club of (Inaudible) Creek and the (Inaudible) School, we could repair the orphanage school building, but we couldn't finish repairing the orphanage building itself because we did not have enough funds to cover all the costs.

VAUSE: So how are the kids coping? Where are they sleeping? Are they essentially safe right now or do you still think -- are they living, sort of, in dangerous conditions?

GHIMIRE: No, the foundation of the building is repaired very strongly and it's safe to stay inside the building, but there are still the cracks and, --and the toilets are not in use -- yes.

VAUSE: Hey, I'm just wondering, if you look around the capital there in Nepal, there's been so rebuilding. A lot of people are critical that this recovery is taking way too long. How do you see it?

GHIMIRE: Yes; I've seen like -- I've been to some places in Nepal, very (inaudible) places in Nepal where the people are struggling to live their lives. I can see the differences that the governments of Nepal brought. They might have done a great thing for people in some part of Nepal, but there are still a few more places and there are still groups of peoples who are not getting sufficient help from the government of Nepal and they are struggling a lot and they are still (inaudible, cross talk) at the shelter and the (inaudible).

VAUSE: Well, we wish you and all the kids at that orphanage the best of luck. You are doing great work and keep it up, and stay safe.

GHIMIRE: Thank you, John.

VAUSE: Talk about this too, because Ishwor is looking for a scholarship to study international business at a university in the United States. Just want to put it out there, if anybody is thinking that there's a way they could help -- SESAY: He's a special young man, that's for sure. Thank you for watching live from Los Angeles; I'm Isha Sesay.

VAUSE: I'm, John Vause; "World Sport" is up next and we'll be back with more news more from around the world. You're watching CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

("WORLD SPORT" AIRED)