Al Qaeda affiliate JNIM has been intensifying its activities in Benin since 2022. The country serves as a transit corridor between the areas of operation of the group, which is well established in Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso. Two nature reserves have become logistical hubs for the jihadist fighters. Benin's army is striving to hold the line.
Four Beninese soldiers died in an attack conducted by the al Qaeda-linked Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims (JNIM) on May 25, 2026, in the wake of the inauguration of the country’s new president, Romuald Wadagni.
