The authorities in Benin said that their forces suffered heavy losses in an attack near the borders with Niger and Burkina Faso, which are witnessing an insurgency.
Colonel Faizo Gumina, chief of staff of the National Guard, said one of Benin's best-equipped military sites was bombed in the north on Wednesday evening.
“We were hit very hard,” Colonel Gumina added.
In recent years, the country has witnessed increasing attacks in the northern region, which have been blamed on jihadist groups based in neighboring countries.
A diplomatic source told AFP that more than 120 Beninese military officers were killed between 2021 and December 2024.
Last month, gunmen killed three soldiers and wounded four others who were guarding an oil pipeline in the northeast.
Colonel Gumina did not provide a death toll in Wednesday's attack, but the main opposition party, the Democrats, said about 30 soldiers were killed in the Alipore area, Reuters news agency reported.
A security source estimated the death toll at 28, according to Agence France-Presse.
The military source added, “We are continuing the clearance operations. Forty attackers have been neutralized so far.”
Colonel Gumina said that the site that was attacked was “one of the strongest and most militarized sites” and called on military commanders to improve their operational strategies in order to confront security threats.
He said: “Wake up, officers and department heads, we have battles that must be won.”
In 2022, Benin deployed nearly 3,000 soldiers to reduce cross-border incursions and enhance security in the north.
