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Arab States Commit to Backing West African Anti-Terror Force

  • Saudis pledge $118 million for G5 Sahel at Paris meeting
  • Macron calls for greater efforts to fight Islamic militants
Charles Michel, Roch Marc Christian Kabore, Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz, Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, Emmanuel Macron and Mahamadou Issoufou gather during a summit of the G5 Sahel anti-terror coalition on Dec. 13. 

Charles Michel, Roch Marc Christian Kabore, Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz, Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, Emmanuel Macron and Mahamadou Issoufou gather during a summit of the G5 Sahel anti-terror coalition on Dec. 13. 

Photographer: Michel Euler/AFP/Getty Images

Arab countries pledged more money and five West African countries said they’d accelerate efforts to get a joint anti-guerrilla military force up and running as they met Wednesday near Paris at the invitation of French President Emmanuel Macron.

Saudi Arabia will contribute 100 million euros ($118 million) and the United Arab Emirates 30 million euros to the so-called “G5 Sahel” force, Macron said. The U.S. confirmed its commitment to spend $60 million on the force being put together by Niger, Chad, Mali, Burkina Faso, and Mauritania to combat Islamic militants across the southern rim of the Sahara.