UNITED NATIONS, Nov. 15 (Xinhua) -- The UN peacekeeping chief on Thursday highlighted the funding inefficiency for a regional force fighting insurgents in the Sahel region of Africa.

Briefing the Security Council on the Joint Force of the Group of Five for the Sahel, UN Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix said "to this date, almost 50 percent of pledges generated (for the joint force) have not been earmarked, let alone disbursed."

He urged donors to deliver on their commitments and to provide the financial support the joint force urgently needs.

The UN under chief reiterated UN Secretary-General's call to set up for the joint force a dedicated support office, in a "different support mechanism" that is funded through assessed contributions.

Five Sahel nations, Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, Chad and Mauritania, set up the joint force in 2017 with the aim to roll back terrorism and lawlessness in the aftermath of a Tuareg separatist uprising in northern Mali in 2012.

Due to inefficient financing, the joint force has met difficulties in attaining full operational capacity. Enditem