The United States on Monday pledged $60 million to shore up a Sahel region counter-terrorism force but rejected appeals from African leaders and France to give the United Nations a supporting role. Washington has previously expressed support for the force and has troops and drone operators in the region supporting operations against militants. But it opposes United Nations involvement. Washington’s refusal to lend UN backing for the Sahel force comes after the US administration negotiated a $600-million cut to the UN peacekeeping budget this year. Prior to the US pledge of $60 million, only 108 million euros had been raised, including 50 million euros from the five countries themselves.

Source: Libya Today October 30, 2017 17:26 UTC