Benin’s government has confirmed that 54 soldiers were killed in a jihadist attack last week near the borders with Burkina Faso and Niger, far higher than the previously reported toll of eight.

The al-Qaeda-linked group Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal Muslimeen (JNIM), based in Mali, claimed responsibility.

This marks the deadliest attack in northern Benin since insurgents began operating there, the BBC has reported.

Benin vowed to continue its fight against jihadist threats expanding from the Sahel region into coastal West African countries.

Written by B.C. Begley