Islamist insurgency in Benin

Common card · No. 420331

An ongoing armed conflict in Benin is being waged by Islamist insurgent groups, primarily the al-Qaeda-affiliate Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) and to a lesser extent the Islamic State's Sahel Province (ISSP) and Islamic State (IS)-aligned Lakurawa. The insurgency began in late 2021 with low-level attacks near the Nigerien and Burkinabe borders, but escalated in 2022 after the Beninese government launched heavy counterattacks. Dozens of Beninese soldiers were killed in the first few months of 2025 after heightened JNIM activity. Benin was the first coastal West African country to see a permanent JNIM presence in it, with Togo, Ghana, and Côte d'Ivoire seeing temporary areas of influence.

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