MaliDonors pledge $455 million to roll back Islamist influence in Mali

International donors meeting in Ethiopia have pledged $455.53 million for an international campaign to tackle Islamist militants in Mali.

The BBC reports that the pledged funds for aid projects and the AFISMA (African-led International Support Mission to Mali) force which is scheduled to take over from French troops in the country are about half the figure African leaders had requested.

The international donor conference was held in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa.

Ivory Coast President Alassane Ouattara opened the meeting, saying the budget for the multinational force’s operation would be $950 million, which is more than double the cost the African Union’s initial estimated it would be.

The AU’s Twitter account on Tuesday carried a list of donors, among them, Japan, which pledged $120 million, the United States, which pledged $96 million, and Germany, which pledged $20 million.

India and China pledged $1 million each — the same as Sierra Leone, which will also contribute 650 troops to the AFISMA.

The funds pledged aim to cover AFISMA deployment, humanitarian assistance, logistics, improving security, and the future development of Mali.

Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, the chairwoman of the African Union Commission, told delegates that they had gathered “to express solidarity with the Republic of Mali and its people.”.

“We all know the gravity of the crisis. It is a situation that requires a swift and effective international response, for it threatens Mali, the region, the continent and even beyond,” she said.

Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn said money would also be needed to fund post-conflict projects.

The BBC notes that there is a general recognition that Mali will not become peaceful again without a democratic transformation, but that for the moment the focus is firmly on finding the money needed by the military force.

There will be another conference, meeting next Tuesday in Brussels, is due to decide on which countries will contribute troops for an EU military training mission for Mali.

The United Kingdom said it would contribute to the training mission and, on Tuesday, the government said around 350 British military personnel would be deployed to Mali and West Africa in a supporting role for French forces.

The United States is using U.S. Air Force tankers to refuel French fighter planes, and the United Kingdom has allowed the United States to use British air bases to fly these refueling missions.