EU to increase funding for G5 Sahel security force

The European Union (EU) on Friday announced to increase the funding for the joint security force of the G5 Sahel, which aims to improve regional security and fight terrorism.

The international high level conference on the Sahel was held in Brussels Friday, co-chaired by the EU, the United Nations, the African Union and the G5 Sahel group of countries (Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania, Niger).

During the meeting, the international donors approved 414 million euros (509 million U.S. dollars) to support G5 Sahel force whilst reinforcing the development efforts in the region, according to the EU's statement.

European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said: "Instability has many factors so our response must be linked and ambitious. Security and development must go hand in hand. To do so, we must continue to mobilize all the instruments we have at our disposal."

Juncker said the EU has doubled its support to 100 million euros (123 million U.S. dollars) to reinforce the operation of the G5 Sahel force. "And I am proud that all our friends and partners of the Sahel joined us in these efforts," he added.

The statement said that the EU is the biggest donor to the G5 Sahel countries with 8 billion euros (9.9 billion U.S. dollars) in development aid over 2014-2020.

In 2014, Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania, and Niger set up the "G5 Sahel" group of countries to foster close cooperation in the region and tackle the major challenges that these countries face.