In an attack by an armed group in Benin’s National Park W, seven members of Beninese security forces and five rangers working with a conservation nonprofit were killed, the conservation group reported.
Earlier this week on Wednesday, an attack occurred near the Mékrou River in the 10,000-square-kilometer (3,800-square-mile) National Park W, which borders Burkina Faso and Niger, the African Parks group stated on Saturday.
Benin’s authorities have remained silent about the attack, a typical response from both the government and the military.
This attack is the latest in a wave of violence where jihadis from the conflict-ridden Sahel region, south of the Sahara Desert, have extended their reach into West Africa, targeting coastal states such as Benin.
The identity of the jihadi group responsible for the attack in Park W remains unclear. Militants from neighboring Burkina Faso and Niger have lately moved into the park, raising worries that they may use its ample protected area as a base for launching operations into other West African countries.
JNIM, the al-Qaida-affiliated group, has emerged as the most active militant organisation in the Sahel and has recently expanded its operations into coastal West African nations such as Benin and Togo.
While initially thought to be moving to coastal states for refuge, financial support, and weapons accumulation, militants have begun targeting communities and security forces, signalling a growing presence of militancy in the region.