Lagos – Gunmen attacked a police station in northern Benin, killing one officer and setting fire to the police post near the border with Niger, a state-run newspaper reported on Wednesday.
No group claimed responsibility for the early Tuesday morning attack in Karimama, but Benin’s military has been targeted in the north where troops are deployed to contain jihadist threats from across the border.
State-run La Nation newspaper reported on its webpage that a half a dozen gunmen on motorbikes attacked the police post in Monsey, killing one officer.
It said gunmen fired more warning shots before disappearing into the nearby W Park, one of two national parks in Benin’s border area that have been the site of recent attacks.
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Benin’s security forces have not made any statement about the attack and an army official did not respond to a message seeking confirmation.
At least five Benin soldiers were killed two weeks ago in an ambush by gunmen near the same area, according to a senior security source and a parks conservation group involved in the area.
The army convoy was travelling to a military post located in Pendjari National Park, on the border with Burkina Faso, when it was ambushed, those sources said.
The attackers first fired on the convoy before one of their vehicles hit an improvised explosive device (IED) placed on the road.
Benin’s military has not confirmed the attack.
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Benin had been seen as a beacon of stability in West Africa, where jihadist groups linked to al-Qaeda and the Islamic State (ISIS) organisation operate in neighbouring Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso.
Nine people were killed in February in attacks in the W national park, according to the government.
No group has claimed responsibility for the attacks, and smuggling gangs also operate in the area. But Benin’s military has increased its presence in the area since late last year.
February’s toll was the deadliest in recent attacks Benin has suffered as coastal West African states face spillover from Sahel countries battling jihadist insurgencies.
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Source: AFP
Picture: Unsplash
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