Calls Mount for Bolstering G5 Sahel Force

French President Emmanuel Macron called for more support to the counterterrorism Sahel force known as G5.

“Money now needs to be disbursed” to allow the five-nation regional force fulfil its tasks, said Macron at a press conference with visiting Niger President Mahamadou Issoufou.

He also called on other donors like Saudi Arabia to meet their financial commitments while promising that the EU will deliver its aid in coming weeks.

Previously, international donors pledged €414 million ($510 million) to help Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania and Niger set up a counter terrorism force to combat the deadly jihadist threat in the Sahel region.

In the same vein, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres last week visited the headquarters of the 5000-G5 force on the second and final day of a trip to Mali, in the heart of the jihadist insurgency in the Sahel.

“We will put forward a very strong argument for the G5 to have the necessary financial resources and equipment to be effective,” he said.

Guterres, as well as Macron, have been lobbying for the force to speed up its work and pushing for UN funding, which would be in addition to technical support from MINUSMA. Washington is however opposed to any financing by the UN.