Benin admits that 54 soldiers killed in a border attack by JNIM

The Benin government acknowledged that 54 soldiers were killed by suspected jihadists in the northern part of the country last week near the borders with Burkina Faso and Niger.

Earlier, the authorities said that only eight soldiers had been killed.

The revised figure has made it the most deadly known attack since the rebels began to work in North Benin in the early decade.

The attack is stated by a group related to al-Qaeda-Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam Wal Muslimeen (JNIM), which is based in Mali, but has been expanding its activities in neighboring countries in recent years.

The jihadist group had said it had killed 70 soldiers in attacks by two military positions north, according to the intelligence group website.

JNIM is one of several jihadist groups operating in the Sahel region in West Africa, especially Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso, where military governments are struggling to master the rebels.

In recent years, Benin and Togo have observed an increase in jihadist activity, as Islamic State -related groups and al -Qaeda have spread south.

“The heavy losses for the nation,” writes presidential spokesman Serge Nonvignon in a Facebook publication on Wednesday.

Another spokesman for the government, Wilfried Leandre Hungeji, said Benin was determined to continue the fight against jihadists.

“I will not give up … I can assure you that sooner or later, sooner or later, we will win,” he said.