The violence has spread to neighbours Chad and Cameroon, both of whom have faced an unprecedented wave of suicide bombings on their soil in recent weeks.
President Buhari visited Cameroon earlier this week to discuss the fight against the Islamist group, he was in Cotonou to attend celebrations marking Benin’s 55 years of independence.
Boni Yayi told reporters after a meeting with Buhari that Benin will show “solidarity” with its “brothers in arms” in the region by sending “a contingent of 800 men… to permanently combat these outlaws”.
Troops for the new multinational force, which includes soldiers from Nigeria, Cameroon, Niger and Chad as well as Benin, were set to be deployed at any time, according to its commander Major General Iliya Abbah on Saturday.
The force, made up of 8,700 troops and headquartered in Chad, is expected to help with better coordination of the regional offensive launched in February, which has made a series of successful inroads against Boko Haram but has failed to neutralise the militants.
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