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10 Gunmen Killed, One Soldier Dead in Clashes in Benin
Violent clashes in northern Benin over the past week between armed groups and the military have left at least ten people dead, including one soldier, as the country grapples with a surge in attacks targeting its military forces.
While Benin’s economic capital, Cotonou, continues to attract international tourists, the northern regions have been plagued by escalating violence. These attacks, often attributed by the government to jihadist groups, are part of a wider trend of extremism spilling over from neighboring Burkina Faso and Niger.
On the night between Thursday and Friday, the Beninese army launched an "offensive operation" that resulted in the killing of nine militants, a source close to the military high command told AFP on Saturday. The operation, which a local source confirmed took place in the commune of Karimama, was in response to an earlier attack where an improvised explosive device (IED) killed one soldier and wounded two others in nearby Kantoro.
Both communities are located near Benin's border with Niger, and while the attacks in the southern region near Burkina Faso have been the primary focus, there has been an alarming increase in violence along the Niger border recently.
According to a military officer who spoke on condition of anonymity, "offensive aerial operations supported by ground forces resulted in the destruction of a major logistics hub" belonging to unidentified militants.
The ongoing insurgencies in neighboring Burkina Faso and Niger, driven by groups linked to Islamic State and Al-Qaeda, have led to the takeover of large rural areas, with these armed groups often exploiting local ethnic and political conflicts, as well as the weak state presence.
The increasing violence in northern Benin has sparked concerns about a spillover of insurgent activity into the country. In February, six Beninese soldiers were killed in an attack by unidentified assailants, prompting a counterattack by the army, which killed 17 militants. The previous month, a major assault led to the deaths of 28 soldiers, a massacre claimed by the Al-Qaeda-aligned Group to Support Islam and Muslims (JNIM).
According to a diplomatic source, 121 Beninese military personnel have been killed in attacks from 2021 through December 2024. In response to these growing threats, Benin deployed nearly 3,000 troops in January 2022 as part of Operation Mirador, aimed at securing the country’s borders. Additionally, 5,000 extra personnel were recruited to reinforce security in the northern regions.
On Thursday, Benin signed a bilateral cooperation agreement with the United States, aimed at strengthening military collaboration between the Beninese Armed Forces (FAB) and the US Army, according to a statement from the American embassy.
Despite these efforts, some analysts argue that military-heavy responses have not addressed the deeper political and social issues that fuel jihadist recruitment, leaving the region vulnerable to continued unrest.