Boko Haram: US Pledged Donation Of $5m, Not $5bn – Embassy

Linda Thomas-GreenfieldThe US Department of State on Tuesday said it donated $5 million not $5 billion to the Multinational Joint Taskforce fighting the Boko Haram insurgents in the Northeast.

On Monday, the media was awash with reports that the US Assistant Secretary, Bureau of African Affairs, Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield, had announced the donation at the African Union (AU) Summit in Johannesburg, South Africa on Monday.

But clarifying the statement yesterday, the US Embassy in Abuja said the actual amount made available for the MNJTF for the renewed onslaught against insurgents is $5 million.

The statement quotes Greenfield as adding that “we are also providing some equipment and support, and we had a number of meetings with the countries who are members of the Multinational Task Force to look at other areas that we might support”.