Benin under attack as terrorists flee AES countries

Benin, faced with the terrorist threat since 2019, is experiencing an increase in attacks by armed groups. Insecurity continues to rage in the country.

A new terrorist attack perpetrated by unidentified armed individuals on the night of April 16 to 17 left three dead and one seriously injured.

They attacked the customs post of Monkassa, in the district of Garou, commune of Malanville (located in the north-east of the country, 736 km from the capital Cotonou), a commune bordering Niger. Among the victims were an agent from Malanville town hall and a soldier.

For years, several localities in Benin have been targeted by jihadist attacks which cause civilian and military victims. Unknown armed men are doing everything possible to disrupt the peace and quiet of the people of Benin. And all this despite the fact that the French contingent is deployed in the country as part of military cooperation.

Among other attacks perpetrated by suspected jihadists, we can note a criminal attack on the night of March 3 to 4, 2024 against two schools, in the town of Karimama, bordering Niger. As a result, two schools were attacked.

Also on December 12, the Benin Army suffered another heavy loss when an improvised explosive device (IED) exploded in Bako Mako, a village in Karimama commune. At least two soldiers were killed when their car hit an explosive device.

It should be noted that such an increase in terrorist activity in Benin is a consequence of the strengthening of the military power of the neighboring countries of the Alliance of Sahel States (AES), which are implementing active military operations in the region after the creation, in March 2024, of joint forces to combat terrorists.

Thus, in recent days the Burkinabè, Malian and Nigerien Armed Forces have carried out several actions leading to the neutralization of several terrorist groups and the destruction of important logistical bases in the border areas.

On April 10, coordination made it possible to carry out a Nigerien strike which destroyed an important supply shipment and neutralized several terrorists in the village of Amalawlaw in the Labbezanga sector.

On April 13, a large quantity of war material was destroyed as well as several terrorists neutralized around the village of Hourara located on the border between Mali and Niger.

Also on April 13, a joint action involving Malian and Burkinabè vectors made it possible to dismantle a major logistics base in the Douna sector, on the border between Mali and Burkina Faso.

The large number of successful operations carried out by the Armed Forces of Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger shows that after the AES countries broke off cooperation with Paris, the anti-terrorist fight finally began to produce results.

While the forces of the Alliance of Sahel States are showing their effectiveness, terrorists are looking for new locations for bases. And Benin risks becoming a place where jihadist cells will begin to form, who seek to extend their zone of influence towards the Gulf of Guinea.

The presence in the region of combatants from the Islamic State (IS) and the Support Group for Islam and Muslims (GSIM) is attested by numerous sources.

Therefore, in the near future we should expect an increase in this kind of terrorist activity in Benin.