United States Pledges $45 Million for African Countries Fighting Boko Haram

The White House said on Thursday that it would send up to $45 million in defence services, including military training, to support African countries in their fight against the militant Islamist group Boko Haram.

Benin, Cameroon, Chad, Niger and Nigeria will receive support that builds on the training and military equipment the United States has already supplied in the fight against the group, White House National Security Council spokesman Ned Price said in a statement.

“The United States stands with our partners in the region who are fighting to end Boko Haram's campaign of terror,” the statement said.

"Defeating Boko Haram will require a holistic campaign that protects human rights, pairs progress on development and governance with security measures, and fills in behind military successes with civilian stabilisation efforts," Price added.

Boko Haram, which means “Western education is sinful”, has been fighting to carve out an Islamic state in northern Nigeria since 2009.

The group was previously associated with al Qaeda before shifting its allegiance to the Islamic State group in March 2015.

The insurgency has killed more than 10,000 people, according to the White House statement, and displaced 2.1 million others.

The group has stepped up attacks in northern Nigeria since President Muhammadu Buhari, who campaigned for the presidency on the promise to defeat Boko Haram, took office on May 29.

Source: France24