The government of Benin has confirmed that 54 soldiers were killed in an attack by suspected jihadists in a national park in Benin.
Government spokesman Wilfried Leandre Houngbedji announced the updated death toll during a press briefing on the April 17 attack in W National Park, located in northern Benin, near the borders with Burkina Faso and Niger.
The new death toll is a sharp increase from the eight deaths initially reported. It is now the deadliest known attack since insurgents began operating in northern Benin several years ago.
Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal Muslimeen (JNIM), an al-Qaeda affiliate based in Mali, earlier claimed responsibility for the attack and said that they had killed 70 soldiers.
“Even if it’s not 70… it’s still a lot,” Houngbedji said. “The soldiers who have fallen are our children, our parents, our friends.”
Benin has deployed thousands of troops to its northern region in recent years to stop the spread of jihadist violence from the Sahel. In January 2022, the government sent 3,000 soldiers to secure its borders. Another 5,000 followed to support the effort.
Despite these deployments, jihadist attacks have continued. In January, 28 soldiers were killed in a similar assault near the border area with Burkina Faso and Niger.
