Jamaat Nusrat Al-Islam Wal Muslimin (Jnim), an affiliated company of the Sahel al-Qaeda, said he killed 70 soldiers in an attack on two military posts in northern Benin.
Jamaat Nusrat Al-Islam Wal Muslimin (Jnim), an al-Qaeda affiliate in the Sahel, said he killed 70 soldiers in attacks on two military posts in northern Benin.
The news agency said the recent attacks have resulted in the largest number of deaths claimed by jihadists in the Nigeria bordering Franco-Pound country, citing reports from Site Intelligence Group, a group of American for-profit organizations that track American for-profit organizations and jihadist organizations.
According to the report, in a propaganda message last Thursday, Jnim said he had killed a soldier in Kandi province of Ariboli province, more than 500 kilometres from the capital Kotonou.
Ebenezer Honfoga, a spokesman for Benin’s Army, was not immediately reachable by the communications agency.
Al-Qaeda affiliates and its rival, Islamic State, have restructured the security environment in the semi-alid region and strengthened its violence rivalry and violence campaigns in the Sahel, according to reports in Armed Location and Event Data (Ecled).
It was founded in 2017 as part of the merger of four existing groups, the Sahara Emirates of the Islamic Maghreb, Almurabithun, Ansaldain and Katibamatina.
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Taking advantage of government-free protected areas such as Pendijari National Park and park plazas that span Nigeria, including Kainji National Park, Nigeria, and the group has successfully moved and trade across borders.
Violence campaigns in the Sahel
Sahel violence has caused a humanitarian crisis, making areas already suffering from acute climatic conditions even more unstable.
On January 8, terrorists suspected of being members of Jnim killed 28 Benny Noise soldiers in an attack in the Point Triple Zone, a border area that links the country with the nation’s leading Burkina Faso and Niger.
A year ago, seven Benny Noise soldiers were killed in Penjari National Park in a terrorist attack.
The recent attacks are considered the most deadly in Benin, but its neighbors have witnessed a more deadly attack.
For example, in December 2019, 71 soldiers were killed in a terrorist attack on an army base in Niger. Less than a month later, another 91 people died in the same country.
Violence in the Sahel also incorporated the geopolitical dynamics of government-led countries cutting ties with France and turning to Russia for military aid. Despite the alliance, Sahel terrorism continues unabated.
