Reports indicate that suspected militants have killed five soldiers in the Pendjari National Park in the north of Benin republic.
Because of its proximity to war zones in Burkina Faso, Niger, and Nigeria, northern Benin has experienced a rise in insurgent activity and recruiting.
It should be recalled that in 2019, a local guide was killed and two French nationals were kidnapped. They were however released shortly.
There have also been at least three militant attacks on the army in the northern region since November last year.
Militant attacks are rare in Benin, but groups linked to Al-Qaeda and Islamic State are active in its northern neighbours Burkina Faso and Niger and have made increasing incursions south
In December 2021, two soldiers were killed and several more were wounded when militants attacked a border security post in northern Benin. The raid in Porga region was the second within one week.
In February 2022, Five park rangers and a soldier were killed in an ambush in a wildlife reserve in northern Benin near the border with Burkina Faso and Niger.