“If we are asked to contribute financially and to support it [West African force], we will do it,” Merkel said during a joint press conference in Berlin with Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama.
Last Friday, Mahama said that West African leaders were to turn to the African Union, seeking authorization for the establishment of a military force to fight Boko Haram, an insurgent group struggling to establish an Islamic state under Sharia law. The group is currently most active in the border region between Cameroon and Nigeria.
On Friday, Russian Ambassador to Cameroon Nikolai Ratsiborinsky said that Moscow would help combat Boko Haram by delivering sophisticated weaponry to Cameroon, including heavy artillery, air defense missiles and armored vehicles.
In November 2014, the United States declared its readiness to allocate a $40 million Global Security Contingency Fund to counter terrorist groups in Nigeria, Cameroon, Niger and Chad. Under the program, the four African countries will be provided with technical expertise, training and equipment, according to the White House.
