The United Kingdom has committed to aiding Nigeria in its fight against the insurgency plaguing the northeastern region of the country.
Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab announced on Monday that the UK would provide £12.6 Million to fight the threat of terrorism in West Africa.
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“Two years since Daesh’s territorial defeat in Iraq and Syria, the threat of Daesh and its hateful ideology has not gone away. Worryingly it continues to grow in Africa which is why we must work with our Coalition partners to fight its poisonous propaganda on all fronts,” Mr Raab said, “We stand shoulder to shoulder with our African partners to tackle the growing threat from Daesh-linked groups across Africa, particularly in the Lake Chad Basin.”
The announcement was made at the meeting of the Global Coalition against Daesh in Rome and further published on the British government’s website.
The funds will be used to support regional security agencies in the fight against terrorists, as well as funding projects to encourage the insurgents to lay down arms and abandon the terrorist group in the Lake Chad Basin, which covers north-east Nigeria, Cameroon, Niger and Chad.
The funds provided by the UK is part of its new Conflict, Stability and Security Fund programme for the Lake Chad Basin region of West Africa, where Daesh’s affiliate, known as Islamic State West Africa (ISWA), is carrying out its operations.
The term Daesh refers to the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, which is a militant group that follows a Salafi jihadist doctrine like the Boko Haram.