Benin: Al-Qaeda-linked jihadist group claims responsibility in deadly attack in country’s north

An Al-Qaeda-linked jihadist group on Friday claimed responsibility for an attack in northern Benin near the borders with insurgency-hit neighbors, Burkina Faso and Niger that killed at least 28 troops this week.

The raid that took place on Jan.8 was the deadliest the Beninese army has suffered in years, authorities have confirmed.

National Guard chief of staff, Colonel Faizou Gomina, said the assault that occurred in the Alibori region, targeting one of the country’s most fortified military positions, was “a very hard blow.” While Colonel Gomina did not elaborate on who perpetrators were and how many Beninese troops had been killed during the attack, a security source put the death toll at 28. In response to the latest attack, “cleaning-up” military operations are underway, with “40 assailants have been neutralized so far,” the military source added.

Attacks in northern Benin have increased in recent years with authorities accusing the Islamic State and Al-Qaeda groups based in neighboring countries, including the Group to Support Islam and Muslims (JNIM).

The west African country has in the past four years suffered increasing attacks in the northern region blamed on jihadist groups based in neighboring Niger and Burkina Faso, in which more than 120 Beninese troops were reportedly killed. In December, gunmen killed three soldiers and injured four others guarding an oil pipeline in the northeast.

Following the latest deadly attack, which he described as “one of the strongest and most militarized,” the army chief of staff urged military leaders to rethink strategies to address the growing security challenges. “Wake up, officers and section chiefs, we have battles to win,” he said.