Al-Qaeda-Linked Jihadists Kill 15 Soldiers in Northern Benin Army Base Attack

Al-Qaeda-linked jihadists from the Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims (JNIM) killed 15 soldiers and wounded five in an attack on a northern Benin army base near the Niger border. The base was looted and set on fire. Military aircraft killed at least four attackers, and security forces continue operations. The attack highlights the growing spread of jihadist violence from the Sahel into northern Benin and the Gulf of Guinea region.

Al-Qaeda-linked jihadists killed 15 soldiers in a raid on an army base in northern Benin, the country’s military confirmed on Thursday. The attack, carried out by the Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims (JNIM), Al-Qaeda’s branch in the Sahel region, targeted a base in Kofouno near Benin’s border with Niger. Five soldiers were wounded in the assault, though their lives are reportedly not in danger. Military aircraft pursued the attackers, killing at least four, while security forces continue operations in the area.
The army base was reportedly looted and set on fire during the attack, highlighting the growing reach of jihadist groups into northern Benin and Togo. West Africa has been experiencing a surge in attacks from jihadist groups such as JNIM and the Islamic State, particularly in Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger, where coups and instability have exacerbated the threat. In 2025, Benin’s security forces suffered a particularly deadly year, including an April JNIM attack that killed 54 soldiers.
In response, Benin launched a 3,000-troop anti-jihadist force in 2022 and later recruited an additional 5,000 soldiers to strengthen security in the northern region. Experts note that JNIM has increasingly recruited members from local populations and expanded its operations into Gulf of Guinea countries. The group combines religious proselytizing with logistics and sporadic attacks, although it does not control large territories like it does in the Sahel. According to a recent ACLED study, the border region between Benin, Niger, and Nigeria has become a hotspot for jihadist activity, and a UN Security Council report last month confirmed that JNIM recently appointed an emir for Benin.