An al-Qaeda branch, Jama’a Nusrat ul-Islam wa al-Muslimin (JNIM), has taken responsibility for a fatal attack on two military positions in northeastern Benin. The attack, carried out in the Alibori department, killed 70 soldiers, the highest number of casualties in the nation due to jihadist violence in more than a decade, the SITE Intelligence Group said.
The attack took place in the Kandi province, more than 500 kilometers from the capital Cotonou. This is the worst escalation of jihadist activity in Benin, which until now has been relatively protected from the widespread violence impacting its neighbors in the Sahel.
The West African rebellion, which started with the Tuareg revolt in northern Mali in 2012, has since then spread to Burkina Faso, Niger, and beyond. The rebellion has resulted in thousands of fatalities, millions of displaced persons, and a number of military coups in the region. The attacks, mostly attributed to groups linked to both the Islamic State (ISIS) and al-Qaeda, have progressively targeted Sahel belt nations, including coastal states like Benin and Togo.
Benin’s army spokesperson, Ebenezer Honfoga, wasn’t available to comment on the attack. The attack comes as a series of increasingly violent cross-border raids across coastal states that were hitherto peaceful, which points to an increased danger from extremist groups across the entire region.
As a response to intensifying jihadist attacks, nations such as Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger have been turning to Russia for assistance more and more, abandoning their traditional Western allies such as France and the U.S.
