Overview

• Benin's government confirmed 54 soldiers were killed in the April 17 attack on military posts in W National Park near the borders with Burkina Faso and Niger.
• The Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims (GSIM), an al-Qaeda-linked group, claimed responsibility, asserting it killed 70 soldiers.
• Authorities initially reported eight fatalities but later revised the toll, marking the deadliest attack in northern Benin to date.
• Benin has deployed thousands of troops since 2022 to secure its northern borders, which have seen increasing spillover violence from Sahel-based extremist groups.
• Government spokesperson Wilfried Léandre Houngbédji called for stronger cross-border cooperation with neighboring countries to counter militant incursions.