15 soldiers killed in jihadist attack in northern Benin

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.

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.

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. The violence has increasingly spread into northern Benin and Togo in recent years. Beninese army spokesman Colonel James Johnson told AFP Wednesday's raid had also wounded five soldiers, "whose lives are not in danger".

He said military aircraft had killed "at least four terrorists" as they withdrew, adding: "The hunt continues." A military source deployed to the region had earlier told AFP the attack left a "heavy human toll", speaking on condition of anonymity.

"We are currently sweeping the area," the source said. A regional security journalists' group, Wamaps, said the army base had been "pillaged and torched" in the attack. 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.

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.

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

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. 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.

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

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