Benin says 54 soldiers were killed in an Islamic militant attack last week

COTONOU, Benin (AP) — An attack by Islamic militants on military posts in northern Benin last week left at least 54 soldiers dead, the West African country’s government said.

Authorities had previously said that only eight soldiers were killed on April 17.

JNIM, an extremist group linked to al-Qaida, claimed responsibility for the attack and said it killed 70 soldiers, according to the SITE Intelligence Group.

The attacks took place in Benin’s northeastern Alibori department, which borders Burkina Faso, Niger and Nigeria.

Benin has for years faced spillover violence in its north from Sahel countries like Burkina Faso and Niger in their battle against Islamic extremist groups.

The tri-border area has long been a hotbed for extremist violence, primarily concentrated around the W-Arly-Pendjari Complex. The large national park spills over into all three countries and has become a launching pad for cross-border attacks by militants.

Government spokesperson Wilfried Léandre Houngbédji on Wednesday deplored the lack of cooperation with Benin’s neighbors in the fight against extremist groups.

“The points where these attacks of April 17 took place are on the border, so you can understand that if, on the other side of the border, there was a force like ours, these attacks would not take place in this way or would not even occur,” he said.

By VIRGILE AHISSOU
Associated Press