Five soldiers belonging to Benin’s defense forces have been killed after an improvised explosive device (IED) went off near the border with Burkina Faso.
The explosion struck a supply convoy in the northwest of the country near the border with Burkina Faso on Monday.
Armed groups from the Sahel have been operating in the Pendjari area for several months, often carrying out raids against civilians and soldiers.
Faced with the resurgence of attacks in this part of the country, President Patrice Talon last Wednesday appointed 54-year-old Fructueux Gbaguidi as the army’s new Chief of General Staff.
Benin, a coastal country on the Gulf of Guinea has increasingly come under threat from jihadist groups active in countries of the Sahel region.
Since the first attacks at the end of 2021, the Beninese army has strengthened its presence in the north of the country.
Last Sunday, it discovered and neutralized another explosive device in the same area.
CD/fss/as/APA