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Benin Reels From Deadliest Terror Attack

The deadliest terrorist attack in Beninese history has shaken the country and its military, leading to harsh criticism inwardly and outwardly. Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM), an affiliate of al-Qaida, claimed responsibility for killing 30 Beninese Soldiers in the January 8 attack on an army position called the Point Triple forward operating base in the north. The base is near the Mekrou river, which marks the border with Burkina Faso and Niger. Beninese National Guard Chief of Staff Col. Faizou Gomina called the base “one of the strongest and most militarized,” as he urged military commanders to improve their operational strategies. “We’ve been dealt a very hard blow,” he said in a January 9 statement. “Wake up, officers and section chiefs. We have battles to win. … You must have the strength to command and organize your men on the ground. Equipment alone is not enough to win an engagement.” Government spokesperson Wilfried Léandre Houngbédji blasted the ruling military juntas of Burkina Faso and Niger in a January 15 media briefing that came after a meeting of Benin’s Council of Ministers. “If it were up to Benin, to President Patrice Talon, we would be in a concerted strategy with our neighbors,” he said. “Despite our efforts that allow us to contain the evil or even push it back, our defense and security forces positioned on our northern border lines continue to be tested by terrorists who are completely free in neighboring countries.” Benin’s military responded to the attack with “intense operations against militants entrenched in and around the W National Park,” security risk analyst Charlie Werb reported on January 10. A military source told Agence France-Presse that counterterrorism operations killed at least 40 militants. “A counterattack by the army was immediate and air force planes and ground troops were drafted to repel the terrorists,” a senior military source told HumAngle media. “Also, an important mopping-up operation is currently going on to evaluate the extent of damage and track down the assailants.” Thus far in 2025, JNIM has escalated its attacks within Burkina Faso, but the group also claimed a January 21 attack on a Beninese base close to the town of Porga, near the border with Burkina Faso and Togo. The militants reportedly killed four Soldiers and stole a cache of weapons and ammunition. In December 2024, unidentified gunmen killed three Soldiers and wounded four others who were guarding an oil pipeline in northeast Benin. In June 2024, seven Beninese troops were killed in an attack inside the Pendjari National Park on the border with Burkina Faso. “The [January 2025] attack highlights the challenges that Beninese forces face given the strong insurgent support zones across the border in Burkina Faso and Niger that enable major attacks in northern Benin,” analyst Liam Carr wrote in his January 16 Critical Threats assessment. “The United Nations reported in July 2024 that JNIM cells based in Burkina Faso carry out most of the group’s attacks in the littoral countries with the objective of establishing support zones over resources and logistic corridors that are essential for expansion.” In 2022, Benin deployed nearly 3,000 troops to reinforce security in the north and halt border crossings as part of Operation Mirador. Security forces also recruited 5,000 additional personnel to deploy in the north. The impact of the military buildup, however, has left officials with more questions than answers. More than 120 Beninese military officers have been killed between 2021 and December 2024, a diplomatic source told AFP in early January. “Currently, it is clear that the threat is intensifying, the more the situation in Niger and Burkina Faso deteriorates, the harder it gets for Benin,” the source said, adding that the Beninese army is still “under construction” and faces the challenge of training its troops while being operational. “There are results. [The Beninese army] can kill terrorists but do not want to communicate about it, so it is not always visible — especially so as not to inform the jihadists of their strategy and because it is anxiety-inducing,” the source said. Chief of Staff of the Beninese Armed Forces Gen. Fructueux Gbaguidi also pointed to the lack of counterterrorism cooperation from neighboring countries to the north. He noted that Beninese authorities have taken steps with Burkina Faso and Niger, but those efforts have not yet turned into action. “Benin has always sought synergy of action in the sub-region,” he said on January 16, according to the government-owned La Nation newspaper. “The President of the Republic of Benin has visited Burkina Faso twice. I have visited Burkina Faso twice to propose that we work together. “Terrorism works in networks, and it is essential that we join forces to confront it.”