Twenty-eight soldiers were killed in an attack in northern Benin near the border with Burkina Faso and Niger, a security source told AFP on Thursday.
The attack, which occurred on Wednesday evening, is part of a surge in violence attributed to jihadist groups linked to Islamic State and Al-Qaeda operating in neighbouring countries.
The military reported that 40 assailants had been “neutralised” during ongoing cleanup operations.
Northern Benin has seen increasing attacks in recent years. In December, three soldiers were killed while guarding an oil pipeline, and in June, seven troops died in an assault at Pendjari National Park near the Burkina Faso border.
Benin’s government rarely comments on such incidents but confirmed over 20 cross-border incursions since 2021. A diplomatic source revealed that 121 Beninese soldiers have been killed between 2021 and December 2024.
The deteriorating security situations in Burkina Faso and Niger are intensifying the threat in Benin, where the army remains under development and faces challenges balancing operations and training.
To counter the threat, Benin launched Operation Mirador in 2022, deploying 3,000 troops and recruiting an additional 5,000 personnel to secure its northern borders. International support has included $6.6 million in US defence aid and €47 million in EU anti-terror funding.
Neighbouring Ghana and Togo have also experienced jihadist attacks in recent years.