[JURIST] United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki Moon [official profile] on Thursday applauded [press release] the European Union for donating 50 million euro (approximately $55,435,000 USD) to the Multi-National Joint Task Force (MNJTF). The MNJTF was created by Lake Chad basin countries in an effort to combat Boko Haram. The Secretary General also commended the nations in the region for their “enhanced cooperation and coordination” which has led to “significant progress” in the fight against terrorism in the region.

The militant Islamic group Boko Haram [BBC backgrounder; JURIST news archive], whose name means “Western education is a sin,” has been fighting to overthrow the Nigerian government in the interest of creating an Islamist state. Last month, the Secretary-General condemned [JURIST report] yet another attack by Boko Haram in Nigeria that left 30 dead and approximately 80 injured. In April the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Zeid Raad al-Hussein, reported [JURIST report] that Boko Haram militants in Nigeria have been murdering women and girls previously taken captive by the group. The group has been increasing the intensity and frequency of its attacks [JURIST report] ever since it lost most of the territory it overtook earlier this year to the Nigerian army. Most of these attacks have centered around markets, bus stations, places of worship and hit-and-run attacks on villages.