Donors pledge $510 million for West Africa's G5 Sahel force

International donors today pledged 414 million euros ($510 million) to five impoverished countries in West Africa's Sahel region, much of it to fund a new counterterror force.

The 5,000-strong G5 Sahel force for Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania and Niger needs around 400 million euros for its mission along mostly desert borders, including near Libya the main jumping-off point for thousands of African migrants bound for Italy.

The amount pledged "goes far beyond our initial expectations," said EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini. "It's a tremendous result that allows us to begin putting the force into operation." The pledges came at a summit in Brussels of 32 leaders and 60 delegations meant to show political, development and security support for the five countries.

"The Sahel is one of Europe's frontiers. The Sahel is a shield, a dike that must never burst," said Niger President Mahamadou Issoufou. He reminded the leaders that "security is a global public good."