African nations pledge troops to fight Islamists

YAOUNDÉ: Nigeria and its four neighbouring nations on Saturday pledged to deploy 8,700 troops, police and civilians as part of a regional effort to fight Boko Haram militants.

“The representatives of Benin, Cameroon, Niger, Nigeria and Chad have announced contributions totalling 8,700 military personnel, police and civilians,” the countries said after a meeting in Cameroon’s capital Yaounde.

The announcement came out of a threeday summit focused on organising the force that will battle the Islamist militants, who are engaged in a worsening six-year insurgency centred in northeastern Nigeria.

However, it may be some time before the multi-national effort goes into action, because nations will continue in coming days to thrash out the details of each government’s contribution as well as the budget. Country representatives at the summit agreed to launch a mission to “foster a safe and secure environment in the impacted regions” and tackle an insurgency that has killed at least 13,000 people and pushed more than a million from their homes since 2009.

African Union leaders will submit the plan for the force crafted by Western and African experts to the UN Security Council for approval.

Boko Haram’s attacks have increasingly spilled over from Nigeria into neighbouring nations.

Their first major assault in Niger on Friday triggered a forceful response from Chad and Niger troops.

Niger’s defence minister reported that 109 of the Islamists were killed in the fighting, along with four soldiers and a civilian. Seventeen other troops were wounded.

The US said it condemned the attack in the “strongest possible terms” and pledged support for regional forces.

“This unchecked killing must stop,” State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf said. “We continue to provide support to governments in the region, including through intelligence sharing.”