African nations pulling together a regional force to fight Nigeria's
Boko Haram militants on Saturday pledged 8,700 soldiers, policemen and
civilians, the latest figure is an increase from earlier estimates for
the mission.
The African Union had previously authorized a force of 7,500 troops
from Nigeria, Chad, Cameroon, Niger and Benin to take on the
Islamists, who have seized large swathes of northeastern Nigeria and
mounted attacks on neighboring nations. Nigeria's military is
struggling against the five-year insurgency, which has killed
thousands of Nigerians and displaced some 1.5 million people.
With Nigeria also trying to organize elections and the militant threat
turning increasingly regional, diplomats have said neighboring nations
must bury mutual mistrust and join the fight to defeat the militants.
The new troop pledges came after three days of talks in Cameroon
between experts from the nations of the Lake Chad basin, the region
where Boko Haram is seeking to create an Islamist enclave.
--Reuters
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