A 50-year-old Frenchman was killed in a ” terrorist attack “ perpetrated in the north of Benin, announced Thursday, February 10 in Paris the national anti-terrorist prosecution (Pnat) which opened an investigation for “assassination in connection with a terrorist enterprise”. This attack was “perpetrated in the W park located in the north of Benin”, according to the Pnat. The investigations were entrusted to the General Directorate of Internal Security (DGSI).
→ UNDERSTAND. In Benin, fear of jihadists is setting in
On Wednesday February 9, the environmental NGO African Parks announced that five forest guards and a soldier had been killed and ten people injured in an ambush the day before, in this cross-border natural park managed by Benin, Burkina Faso and Niger. “Yesterday (…) a team of rangers was ambushed in Benin’s W National Park. (…) The provisional report shows six dead including five forest guards and a soldier of the Armed Forces of Benin, ten other people being injured”she said in a press release.
A strong jihadist threat
According to African Parks, additional military reinforcements and rangers have been deployed to the area. A recent series of border raids in countries south of the Sahel confirmed suspicions that jihadist groups in the region are seeking to advance towards the coast.
→ READ. In Benin, the army on alert following a jihadist attack
The Beninese army has strengthened its presence in the north of the country following the first two officially recognized jihadist attacks at the end of last year. Last month, two Beninese soldiers were killed in a pipe bomb attack.
