Egyptian border forces have shot dead five Sudanese migrants trying to cross from Egypt’s turbulent North Sinai region into Israel, the military said in a statement.

“Law enforcement tasked with protecting the border spotted at dawn today a group of Africans trying to sneak though the international border in cooperation with criminal elements involved in illegal immigration,” the military said.

“The force fired several warning shots and moved to arrest those trespassers who shot at the security force. The force engaged them, killing five, injuring six and arresting five more. All of them were Sudanese.”

The northern part of the peninsula, where Egyptian authorities are battling a jihadi insurgency, is a major route for African migrants trying to reach Israel.

On 15 November, Egyptian police found the bodies of 15 African migrants who appeared to have been shot dead in the same region, security sources said at the time. They said another eight migrants had been wounded. It was not clear who had attacked the migrants or which countries they had originated from.