Djihadist groups infiltrated from the Sahel would be behind this unmasked ambuscade, which again ends an increasingly dangerous region.
Le Monde with AFP
Tuesday, February 8, six members of the Beninese police found death in an ambush in a cross-border natural park managed by Benin, Burkina Faso and Niger, announced Wednesday African Parks, an NGO Defense of the environment.
“Yesterday (…) A team of forest guards was taken into ambush in the W National Park of Benin. (…) The provisional assessment reports six deaths including five forest guards and a soldier of the military forces of Benin ( FAB), ten others being injured, “says the organization of nature protection in its statement.
Jihadist insurrection
The attack has not been claimed yet, but a jihadist insurrection from the Sahel has extended to some parts of West Coastal Africa, particularly north of Benin. The authorities had not commented on the incident on Wednesday night.
According to African Parks, military reinforcements and additional forestry guards have been deployed in the sector. A recent series of border raids in countries in southern Sahel confirmed the suspicions that jihadist groups in the region seek to progress towards the coast.
The Beninese army has strengthened its presence in the north of the country after the first two jihadist attacks officially recognized at the end of the year 2021. In January, two Béninese soldiers were killed when their vehicle was a victim of An attack in the artisanal bomb in the department of Atakora, in the north of the country.