Diplomatic tensions between Benin and its military-led neighbours, Niger and Burkina Faso, have created a security void that terrorist groups are increasingly taking advantage of.
In the northern region of Benin, which shares borders with both Niger and Burkina Faso, there has been a recent increase in assaults on military positions, with a last week’s attack attributed to Al-Qaeda-affiliated militants resulting in the deaths of 54 soldiers—the highest casualty figure reported by officials thus far.
The government of Benin has attributed these attacks to a spillover effect from Niger and Burkina Faso, both of which are under military rule and had promised to eliminate the persistent jihadist threat in the Sahel region.
However, Niger and Burkina Faso’s military governments are accusing Benin of harbouring military bases for Western nations aiming to undermine them—allegations that Benin disputes—resulting in minimal cooperation between the countries to address the problem.
Both Burkina Faso and Niger are situated in the Sahel, a region that accounted for half of the deaths from terrorist incidents in 2024, as per the latest Global Terrorism Index (GTI) released in March.
For the second consecutive year, Burkina Faso ranked highest in the GTI’s list of countries most affected by terrorism, surpassing both Pakistan and Syria.
Niger was ranked fifth, closely following its fellow military-ruled ally Mali.
