Benin will contribute 800 troops to a regional military force combating the Islamist militant group Boko Haram, President Thomas Boni Yayi said.
Nigerian Major-General Iliya Abbah will head the 8,700 force that includes forces from Nigeria, Chad, Cameroon and Niger, the Nigerian army said last week.
“This is an opportunity for Benin to express solidarity to countries on the front line against the Islamic sect Boko Haram,” Yayi Boni said in a media briefing broadcast on state television in the capital, Porto Novo.
