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
No comments:
Post a Comment