The Federal Government on Tuesday pledged additional donation of five million dollars to support the Africa-led International Support Mission to Mali (AFISMA) and the Malian Defence and Security Forces (MDSF).
This is in addition to several other contributions already made by Nigeria to ensure peace and stability in Mali.
President Goodluck Jonathan announced the donation while addressing the Donors’ Conference on Mali in Addis Ababa.
The president said Nigeria had deployed 900 combat soldiers and 300 Air Force personnel for immediate deployment to the mission.
He added that Nigeria had also provided about 32 million dollars and logistic support to AFISMA.
“Prior to this, Nigeria had dispatched relief and humanitarian supplies amounting to two million dollars.
“Nigeria had also undertaken the re-construction and refurbishment of a number of clinics in the military barracks of some of the MDSF, as part of the Security Sector Reform intervention to the tune of 5.5 million dollars.’’
Jonathan said that Nigeria fully associated itself with the joint initiative being undertaken by the ECOWAS, AU, EU and the UN aimed at mobilising support to ensure that peace returned to Mali.
He said Nigeria had pursued the ECOWAS two-pronged strategy of dialogue and military action endorsed by the AU and the UN through resolution 2085 adopted by Security Council on Dec. 20, 2012.
“I visited Mali in my capacity as co-mediator on Oct. 19, 2012 to urge national consultations and dialogue in Bamako with a view to promoting a united political front on the basis of the ECOWAS roadmap for the resolution of the crisis in Mali.’’
Jonathan commended France for responding in a proactive manner to the request by the Malian authorities to halt the southward advance of the terrorists and criminal armed gang in Northern Mali.
He urged the security council to adopt another resolution, to reflect the unfolding situation.
The News Agency f Nigeria (NAN) reports that South Africa pledged a donation of 10 million dollars, Ethiopia and Morocco pleaged 5 million dollars each, while Ghana gave 3 million dollars.
Benin Republic and Cote D’ivoire donated two million dollars each while Gambia donated one million dollars.
Other individual country donations came from Japan with 120 million dollars, U.S. 96 million dollars; Canada, 13 million dollars; Bahrain, 10 million dollras; Luxembourg, 5.5 million dollars and China, one million dollars.
France had committed 40 million Euros to the UN/AU Trust Fund while the AU/ECOWAS contributed 50 million dollars through AU/ECOWAS Trust Fund while the EU donated 50 million pounds.