Japan today said it would give $120 million in new aid to the Islamist-infested Sahel region of north Africa after 10 Japanese were killed in the recent Algerian hostage crisis.

A four-day stand-off at a gas plant in the Saharan desert ended in bloodshed earlier this month when Algerian commandos stormed the plant, with some reports talking of summary executions of hostages in the final firefight.

Of the at least 37 foreigners known to have died, Japan’s toll of 10 was the highest of any country whose nationals were caught up in the jihadist siege.

“The Japanese government plans to give an additional $120 million to help stabilise Mali and the Sahel region,” Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida said. “This is to help the region to strengthen governance and security, including aid for peacekeeping operations.”

All of the Japanese who died were employed by plant engineering firm JGC, which, along with a number of other similar firms from resource-starved Japan, is active in North Africa.

“We expect this aid to help strengthen the AFISMA mission and abate the poverty that could breed terrorism,” Kishida said, referring to the African-led International Support Mission in Mali, which has UN Security Council backing.

Japan has already given $63 million in aid to the region over the past year, in part to counter a drought and because of a worsening security situation in Mali, a foreign ministry official said.

Following a military coup, radical Islamists seized Timbuktu in April 2012 along with several other cities in the north of Mali, and held them until a French-led force began pushing north this month.

Only one Islamist stronghold remains to be retaken: the town of Kidal in the desert hills of the far north, 1,500 km northeast of the capital. France now has 2,900 soldiers in Mali.

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