The US has promised to pledge $60 million to support the Group of Five Sahel States (G5 Sahel) Joint Force’s regional counter-terrorism operations. The G5 Sahel is comprised of Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania and Niger. The Sahel region stretches across the south-central latitudes of North Africa between the Atlantic Ocean and the Red Sea.
According to a statement released by the state department, the money will boost the US’ regional partners in the fight against ISIS and its affiliated groups like Boko Haram in the region.
Several extremist groups are reportedly active in the Sahel region — including Daesh, Al-Qaeda and Boko Haram — which occasionally carry out attacks on military and civilian targets. This is especially the case in Mali, where militants overran much of the country in 2012 before being expelled following the intervention of French military forces.
