15 soldiers killed by Al-Qaeda-linked jihadists in Benin

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Al-Qaeda-linked jihadists killed 15 soldiers in an attack on an army base in northern Benin, the west African country’s military said Thursday.

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The Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims (JNIM), Al-Qaeda’s branch for the Sahel region of Africa, claimed responsibility for the Wednesday raid on a base in Kofouno, near Benin’s border with Niger.

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West Africa is suffering from a surge in attacks by the JNIM, the Islamic State group and other jihadist militias, particularly in Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger, where a series of military coups have coincided with severe instability.

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The violence has increasingly spread into northern Benin and Togo in recent years.

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Beninese army spokesman Colonel James Johnson told AFP Wednesday’s raid had also wounded five soldiers, “whose lives are not in danger”.

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He said military aircraft had killed “at least four terrorists” as they withdrew, adding: “The hunt continues.”

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A military source deployed to the region had earlier told AFP the attack left a “heavy human toll”, speaking on condition of anonymity.

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“We are currently sweeping the area,” the source said.

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A regional security journalists’ group, Wamaps, said the army base had been “pillaged and torched” in the attack.

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Benin, which is set to hold a presidential election next month, had a particularly deadly year for its security forces in 2025, including an April JNIM attack that killed 54 soldiers.

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The country launched a 3,000-troop anti-jihadist force in 2022 to secure its borders, and has since recruited another 5,000 soldiers to reinforce its northern region.

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Experts say the JNIM is increasingly recruiting members among the local population.

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It has spread into countries along the Gulf of Guinea, where it blends religious proselytising with logistics operations and periodic attacks — though without controlling large swathes of territory, as it does in the Sahel.

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The border area between Benin, Niger and Nigeria has become a new hotspot for jihadist violence, according to a recent study by conflict monitoring group ACLED.

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A UN Security Council report last month said the JNIM had recently appointed an emir for Benin.

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