Nations at Cameroon summit pledge $86m to fight armed group and urge more support from international community. Leaders from Central Africa have met in Cameroon to finalise plans for a military offensive against Boko Haram fighters in Nigeria and neighbouring countries.

Representatives of 10 nations met in the capital Yaounde on Monday under the aegis of the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS) and committed to spend $86m to fight Boko Haram. They also urged the international community to provide more support to counter the armed group.

Boko Haram has widened its attacks into neighbouring nations, notably Cameroon and Chad, in a conflict estimated to have claimed 13,000 lives since 2009. “This session is historic because we must use it to respond to the barbaric actions of the terrorist group Boko Haram,” Hamid Alami, secretary-general of ECCAS, said on Monday.

“This terrorist group has the military and human resources of a conventional army, but uses asymmetric methods, making the fight more complex and costly for Cameroon and Chad.”

Read More: aljazeera.com