In news beyond West Africa, U.S. President Donald Trump has announced billions of dollars in pledges for relief efforts in the Gaza Strip during the inaugural meeting of the Board of Peace in Washington, DC.

President Trump declared that the war in Gaza is over, stating that only what he described as “little flames” remain. He said 59 countries have signed on to support recovery efforts through sustained diplomatic engagement.

The United States has committed 10 billion dollars to the new body. Trump added that countries including Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, the United Arab Emirates, Morocco, Bahrain, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Uzbekistan and Kuwait have collectively pledged more than 7 billion dollars.

Meanwhile, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs is seeking an additional 2 billion dollars to sustain humanitarian operations in the affected areas.