Gunmen have killed seven Benin soldiers in an attack in Pendjari National Park in the north of the country near the border with Burkina Faso, security sources said on Wednesday.
The sources did not identify the gunmen, but the attack on Tuesday was the latest in a border area where Benin faces growing spillover from a conflict in the Sahel and where criminal gangs and smugglers also operate.
“The information about the loss of seven of our compatriots is confirmed,” an army source told AFP, when asked about the attack.
Another security source also confirmed the attack.
No group immediately claimed responsibility and the army has yet to comment officially.
West Africa’s Gulf of Guinea countries Benin, Togo, Ghana and Ivory Coast are all bracing for the fallout from growing conflicts in the Sahel across their northern borders.
Benin borders Burkina Faso and Niger, where militants linked to Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group are fighting wars.
In May, Benin troops killed eight suspected militants in the northeast of the country near the border with Niger.
A coup in Niger last July has also led to the withdrawal of French troops based there, heightening worries over worsening insecurity across the Sahel.
Benin authorities have sent 3,000 troops to reinforce the border as part of Operation Mirador to counter threats.
The European Union in April said it would provide 50 million euros ($54 million) to help the Benin armed forces to fight against terrorism, especially for reconnaissance aircraft and drones.
Benin’s government rarely comments about violence on its borders, but officials have acknowledged that since 2021 they have seen around 20 incursions.