$2.3bn initiative to target Sahel terrorism

Western donors have pledged $2.3bn in funding aimed at preventing terrorism and lawlessness along the southern rim of the Sahara, the head of the G5 Sahel grouping confirmed yesterday. A report on the allAfrica site notes that the talks were convened by former German President Horst Köhler who is now the personal envoy of the UN secretary-general. 'These pledges from our partners broadly cover the overall needs of 40 development projects to fight jihadism in the region, Niger President Mahamadou Issoufou told reporters after a donor conference in the Mauritanian capital Nouakchott. The five Sahel states – Mauritania, Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, and Niger – have been struggling against extremism and lawlessness in the Sahel since a jihadist revolt that began with a Tuareg separatist uprising in northern Mali in 2012. A report on the News24 site notes that the donors hope that with an array of projects, including building schools and health centres and improving access to water, they can prevent communities from falling under the influence of extremists. Jihadism in the region has been fuelled by the chaos that engulfed Libya in 2011, the Islamist takeover of northern Mali in 2012 and the rise of Boko Haram in northern Nigeria.