France on Sunday pledged support to a new African anti-terrorism force in the Sahel region, announcing a contribution of 8 million euros (9 million dollars) towards its creation by the end of the year, dpa reported. "Our enemies are cowards, but they have determination. They want to destroy us," President Emmanuel Macron told leaders from Mali, Mauritania, Burkina Faso, Niger and Chad - the so-called G5-Sahel countries - in the Malian capital Bamako. The new regional anti-terror force is set to include as many as 5,000 soldiers, with one battalion from each of the G5 countries. Macron said France would contribute more than 8 million euros in military support this year. He mentioned a contribution of 70 vehicles, without saying whether that was included in the sum. The president also announced 200 million euros in French development aid to the Sahel region over the next five years. Malian President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita said the G5 would initially allocate 50 million euros to launch the new force. The European Union has also pledged 50 million euros. France is seeking additional financing from partners including Germany and the United States. Keita said the total budget was estimated at 423 million euros. The new force has been approved by the UN Security Council. It will operate alongside the Barkhane, a 4,000-strong French anti-terrorism force in the region, and the MINUSMA, a UN mission in Mali. "The common force of the G5-Sahel does not replace the Barkhane or the MINUSMA. It comes to support other forces," Macron said. Islamist militants operating in Mali meanwhile released a video allegedly showing six hostages from South Africa, France, Colombia, Australia, Romania and Switzerland. Several of them expressed their longing to be released. The authenticity of the video, which was circulating on jihadist channels on the internet, could not be verified. Macron called the people who had abducted the hostages "terrorists, thugs" and pledged to "do everything to eradicate them." The fight against terrorism is expected to focus on the border area between Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso, where attacks against military barracks have occurred recently.
