 "54 soldiers killed in suspected jihadist attack in Benin, says government")
COTONOU, April 24 (NNN-XINHUA) — A total of 54 soldiers were killed in the terrorist attack that took place in military posts in a national park in northern Benin on April 17, Beninese government spokesman Wilfried Leandre Houngbedji said.
Houngbedji denied rumors of over a hundred deaths spread on social networks, and expressed condolences and sympathy to the families of the victims and to the Beninese people as a whole, according to Benin’s official media La Nation.
This is the heaviest official toll since the start of jihadist attacks in the north.
The attack was claimed by the Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims (GSIM or JNIM in Arabic) which is affiliated with al Qaeda.
Stressing the lack of cooperation between neighboring countries to tackle the terrorist issue in a concerted manner, he emphasized the importance of strengthening material and technical resources to eliminate the terrorist threat.
Benin has been witnessing a growing threat of jihadism from the Sahel in recent years. — NNN-XINHUA
