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Benin forces suffered heavy casualties in the attack near the border with rebel-held Niger and Burkina Faso, authorities said.
Colonel Faizou Gomina, the Chief of Staff of the National Guard, said one of Benin’s most well-equipped military positions was shelled in the north on Wednesday night.
“We have been hit very hard,” added Colonel Gomina.
In recent years, the country has witnessed an increase in attacks in the northern region, which have been blamed on jihadist groups based in neighboring countries.
More than 120 Beninese soldiers were killed between 2021 and December 2024, a diplomatic source told AFP.
Last month, gunmen killed three soldiers and wounded four others guarding an oil pipeline in the country’s northeast.
Colonel Gomin did not give a death toll in Wednesday’s attack, but the main opposition Democrat party said about 30 soldiers were killed in the Alibori region, Reuters reported.
A security source reported 28 dead, according to AFP.
“We continue the cleaning. At the moment, 40 attackers have been neutralized,” the military source added.
Colonel Gomin said the attacked position was “one of the strongest and most militarized” and urged military commanders to improve their operational strategies to counter security threats.
“Wake up, officers and section chiefs, we have battles to win,” he said.
In 2022, Benin deployed nearly 3,000 troops to deter cross-border incursions and bolster security in the country’s north.