by Temitope Oladeji
24/4/2025
The government of Benin on Wednesday confirmed that 54 soldiers were killed in a jihadist attack on military positions inside a national park on April 17, the deadliest assault since jihadist violence began spreading into the northern region of the country.
Government spokesperson Wilfried Léandre Houngbédji disclosed the revised death toll during a press briefing, describing the losses as a national tragedy.
The attack occurred in a National Park, located near the country’s northern border with Burkina Faso and Niger.
Initially, authorities reported eight fatalities, but further investigation and recovery efforts revealed the much higher toll.
The al Qaeda-affiliated Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims (GSIM), also known by its Arabic acronym JNIM, has claimed responsibility for the assault.
The group asserted that it had killed 70 Beninese soldiers, but the government officially confirmed 54 deaths.
“Even if it’s not 70… It’s still a significant loss,” Houngbédji said. “These fallen soldiers are our children, our parents, our friends.”
The Benin government has ramped up military efforts to contain the spread of jihadist violence spilling over from the Sahel region.
In January 2022, the government deployed nearly 3,000 troops to secure its northern border zones and later sent an additional 5,000 soldiers in response to escalating threats.
The April 17 attack marks the most devastating single incident since the insurgency reached Benin.
Earlier this year, in January, 28 soldiers were killed in a separate attack near the tri-border area shared with Niger and Burkina Faso. GSIM also claimed that incident.
GSIM, the group behind both attacks, is designated as a terrorist organization by the United Nations, the United States, and several other international bodies.
It is the main jihadist coalition operating in the Sahel and has been involved in numerous violent campaigns across West Africa.
The government has pledged to strengthen its counterterrorism response and increase support for military personnel stationed in high-risk regions.