The UN secretary General Ban Ki Moon welcomed an Africa proposal to set up regional 5 nation force of 7500 troops to fight Nigeria's Boko Haram Islamist militants.
The support for the initiative, was announced at an African Union smmit being held in Addis Abeba,Ethiopia,came after the Chadian military said 3 soldiers and 123 military were killed in 2 days of Boko Haram fighting with Chadian army contigent in northern Cameroon.
The UN Sec Gen told reporters on the sidelines of the summit that he welcome the decision of the AU and regional countries to establish an MJTF(Multinational Joint Task Force)against Boko Haram.
The UN is ready to fully co-oporate with the AU but nevertheless said that military means may not be the only solution.
The Boko Haram Islamist militants has comitted unspeakable brutality.They should be addressed with a regional and international co -operation, that not a single country can handle them alone.He said there should be very careful analysis of the root causes why this kind of terrorism, and violent extremissm are spreading .
The Boko Haram has killed at least 13.000 people and force more than a million people from their homes since 2009.
The uprising has become a regional crises , with 4 countries directly affected Cameroon, Nigeria, Chad and Niger, agreeing along with Benin late last year to form a joint force of 3.000 tropes, although the force remains unoper ational due to disagreements between Abuja and its neighbours.
The proposed force was backed by the AU Peace and Sicurity Council on Friday, and the Pan African body is now seeking UN Security Council approval and a Trust Fund to pay for it.
Diplomats said that while logistics support would be forthcoming, it remains unclear whether AU will secure funds.
Military experts shall discuss the force on 5 - 7 February in Yaounde, Cameroon.
