Benin government admits over 54 soldiers killed in terrorist attack

Benin has admitted that over 54 soldiers were killed by Islamic insurgents during an attack on two military outposts near the borders with the Sahel countries of Niger and Burkina Faso on April 17.  

As reported by BBC News, responsibility for the devastating attack was claimed by the jihadist group Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM)

The terrorist group, which is primarily based in Mali, has in recent years expanded into neighbouring countries and regions, including Benin.   

The Beninese government’s admission that over 54 soldiers were killed comes after earlier attempts to downplay the attack, initially stating that eight troops had died.  

Nevertheless, despite the lack of initial clarity, the scale of the attack has triggered an outpouring of grief and resilience from both the public and officials in the nation.

Commenting on the attack in a social media post on April 23,Presidential spokesperson Serge Noviginon described it as a “Heavy loss for the nation” and paid tribute to the fallen soldiers killed in the attack.

Another government spokesperson, Willfreid Leandre Houngbedji, vowed that the government would continue fighting the insurgents, declaring: “We won’t give in” and promising that the government “will win” the fight against terrorism. 

This most recent terrorist attack by JNIM comes at a time of rapid expansion by Sahel-based terrorist groups into neighbouring countries.  

As previously reported by Maghrebi ,weak governance in the Sahel’s junta-led countries – such as Mali and Burkina Faso – has resulted in little resistance to extremist groups like JNIM and Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (IS-Sahel), enabling their growth and spread into non-Sahelian nations.

As noted by Beverly Ochieng, a senior analyst at a geopolitical risk consultancy, the likelihood of these jihadist groups expanding into multiple other countries now seems imminent.

For example, Togo, which borders both Benin and Burkina Faso, recorded at least 20 terrorist attacks in 2024 – the highest ever recorded by the country on the Global Terrorism Index.

BBC News, Maghrebi