UNITED NATIONS -- China's envoy to the United Nations on Thursday urged international support for a 16-month-old regional force set up with the aim to tackle insurgents in the Sahel region.

At a Security Council meeting on the Joint Force of the Group of Five for the Sahel, Chinese Permanent Representative to the UN Ma Zhaoxu said the joint force is "facing real difficulties, including worsening regional security, inadequate operational capabilities, equipment and training, as well as funding shortages."

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

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

In his statement, Ma noted the joint force represents an important contribution to peace and security in Africa and world at large, and stressed it requires continued support from the international community.

Moreover, he highlighted the need to "comprehensively implement policies" to tackle the root causes of the conflict in the Sahel, as well as to leverage the role of regional mechanisms in addressing relevant issues.

Concluding his statement, the Chinese envoy pledged that China is ready to work with the international community in continuing to play a constructive role in achieving peace and stability in the Sahel region and on the African continent.

The Sahel region stretches across the south-central part of Northern Africa between the Atlantic Ocean and the Red Sea, touching multiple countries.

Earlier at the meeting, UN Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix highlighted the funding inefficiency for the joint force.

"To this date, almost 50 percent of pledges generated (for the joint force) have not been earmarked, let alone disbursed," he said.

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