President Obama on Thursday authorized $45 million in defense aid to five African countries as they battle the Islamic militant group Boko Haram.
The State Department will funnel the “defense articles and services” and “military education and training” to the Lake Chard Basin countries of Benin, Cameroon, Chad, Niger and Nigeria, National Security Council spokesman Ned Price said.
Obama’s actions enable Secretary of State John Kerry to provide “critical airlift support and other assistance, including to help the Lake Chad Basin countries move troops and equipment to the border region from which Boko Haram terrorists continue to launch brutal attacks on civilians,” he said.
“The United States also continues to provide advisors and share information with our regional partners to enhance counter-Boko Haram operations, as well as victim support and counter-violent extremism programming,” Price said.
The announcement comes months after Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari visited Washington and the Obama administration said it would again let military aid flow to Abuja after a dispute with his predecessor, Goodluck Jonathan.
Jonathan complained that the U.S. wasn’t doing enough to help him fight the terrorist group when Washington rebuffed his request for heavy weaponry amid concerns over his government’s human-rights record.
Boko Haram-instigated violence has claimed more than 10,000 lives since 2009.
