Ayhan Şimşek
04 September 2018•Update: 05 September 2018
By Ayhan Simsek
BERLIN
The international community pledged Tuesday $2.17 billion in aid to support humanitarian, peace-building and development activities in Africa’s Lake Chad region.
More than 70 countries and international organizations attended a two-day donor conference in Berlin, which was co-hosted by Germany, Norway, Nigeria and the UN.
Apart from the assistance, African Development Bank, Islamic Development Bank and the World Bank announced $467 million in concessional loans to support projects in Cameroon, Chad, Niger and Nigeria -- the four countries bordering Lake Chad.
“Participants agreed that a coherent, multi-year approach is needed that integrates all available instruments to tackle the protection crisis and the root causes of the conflict,” Germany’s foreign ministry said in a statement.
“This is needed to pave the way for sustainable and resilient development of the region, and thus contribute to a better future for the affected people,” it stressed.
The U.S. announced it would provide $420 million in aid to respond to crises across the Lake Chad region.
Germany said it would allocate $307 million (€265 million), while France, another major donor country, announced $152 million (€131 million) contribution to support humanitarian activities in the region.
Extreme poverty and violent conflicts are affecting more than 17 million people in the Lake Chad region, while 10 million people require humanitarian assistance and protection.
