Five West African states to join forces against Boko Haram

Four west African countries on Saturday announced plans to join forces to help their neighbor Nigeria fight the Islamic extremist group Boko Haram.

Delegates from Benin, Cameroon, Chad, Niger and Nigeria revealed their plan at the end of three days of talks in Cameroon. Experts from the African Union and United Nations also participated.

The plan calls for deploying 8,750 soldiers in the area next month, where Boko Haram is fast becoming a regional threat.

Details on how the force will operate were not disclosed. Cameroon’s defense minister, Edgard Alain Mebe Ngo’o, said that would be like revealing military secrets.

Representatives from the five African countries said they urgently need $4 million to deploy the force. A U.N. representative said she would submit the request to the secretary-general and Security Council, but for now, the U.N. can provide only logistical support.

Boko Haram has carried out a bloody campaign of terrorism since 2009 to turn Nigeria into an Islamic state, but it has recently also attacked towns in Cameroon, Chad and Niger. Civilians, including children, are frequent victims of Boko Haram violence.

U.S. intelligence officials said the group has 4,000 to 6,000 hard-core fighters. A U.S. State Department spokeswoman said Boko Haram’s “brutality and barbarism know no bounds.”

The fight against Boko Haram has emerged as the central issue in Nigeria’s presidential elections, which are scheduled for February 14. The violence has prompted some Nigerians to call for a delay in the vote.