Al-Qaeda-affiliated jihadists killed 15 soldiers in an assault on a military base in northern Benin, the West African nation’s armed forces reported Thursday.
The attack on Wednesday in Kofouno, near the border with Niger, was claimed by the Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims (JNIM), Al-Qaeda’s Sahel branch.
The Sahel region, including Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger, has experienced a rise in militant attacks by JNIM, the Islamic State, and other extremist groups, particularly amid a wave of military coups and ongoing instability. In recent years, the violence has begun to spill into northern Benin and parts of Togo.
Benin army spokesperson Colonel James Johnson told AFP that five soldiers were also wounded during the assault but that their injuries were not life-threatening.
He added that airstrikes by military aircraft had killed at least four militants as they retreated, noting: “The hunt continues.” A military source stationed in the area, speaking anonymously, described the attack as having a “heavy human toll.”
“We are currently conducting sweeps of the region,” the source said. According to the regional security journalism group Wamaps, the base was ransacked and set on fire during the raid.
Benin, which is preparing for a presidential election next month, had already endured a deadly year for its security forces in 2025, including a JNIM attack in April that claimed the lives of 54 soldiers.
In response to the rising threat, the country deployed a 3,000-strong anti-jihadist force in 2022 and later recruited an additional 5,000 troops to reinforce the northern border areas.
Analysts note that JNIM is increasingly recruiting from local communities. The group has expanded along the Gulf of Guinea, combining religious outreach with logistical operations and occasional attacks, though it does not control large territories as it does in the Sahel.
The border region between Benin, Niger, and Nigeria has emerged as a new hotspot for jihadist activity, according to a recent study by the conflict monitoring organization ACLED.
A UN Security Council report last month stated that JNIM had recently appointed an emir to oversee operations in Benin