A local al-Qaeda-affiliated militant group in Benin, Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM), has claimed responsibility for deadly attacks on two military posts, resulting in the deaths of at least 79 soldiers. The U.S.-based SITE Intelligence Group, which monitors extremist activities online, reported this on Saturday.
JNIM, an affiliate of the Middle East-based terrorist group al-Qaeda, stated in a declaration that the attacks took place last Thursday in the Alibori region of northeastern Benin, specifically in Kandi province—more than 500 kilometers from the capital, Cotonou.
SITE Intelligence noted that this is the deadliest attack by militants in over a decade in the region.
Benin and its coastal neighbor Togo have experienced several such attacks in recent years. Armed groups affiliated with both the Islamic State (IS) and al-Qaeda have extended their reach beyond the Sahel region, pushing into northern parts of West African coastal countries.
Reuters reported that it could not independently verify JNIM’s claim. Attempts to contact the spokesperson for Benin’s military, Ebenezer Honfoga, via phone and text message were unsuccessful.
The militant presence in the Sahel began in 2012 after a Tuareg rebellion in northern Mali, gradually spreading to neighboring Burkina Faso and Niger, and eventually reaching coastal countries like Benin.
Years of conflict in the Sahel have led to thousands of deaths and the displacement of millions