(Ecofin Agency) - During the African Union (AU) summit in Addis Ababa held on February 1, 2016, international donors pledged $250 million to fight terrorist group Boko Haram.

“We have around $250 million” to support the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF) who is fighting Boko Haram in the basin of Lake Chad, said AU Peace and Security Council chief Smail Chergui.

According to him, Nigeria is to provide $100 million and the European Union committed to provide €50 million. Meanwhile, the U.K has already provided $8 million while the Swiss delegation and the Community of Sahel-Saharan States have respectively given €3.6 million and $1.5 million.

With a force of 8,700 men, the MNJTF was launched last summer by Nigeria, Chad, Cameroon, Niger and Benin. With the help of the regional taskforce which has been challenging the terrorist group, it no more occupies whole towns in the Northern part of Nigeria.

Responsible for various attacks which caused the death of 17,000 people and moved 2.6 million Nigerian residents since 2009, Boko Haram last March swore allegiance to the Islamic State.