Benin forces have suffered heavy casualties in an attack near the border with rebel-hit Niger and Burkina Faso, authorities said.
Colonel Faizou Gomina, the national guard chief of staff, said one of Benin's best-equipped military positions was hit in the north on Wednesday evening.
“We received a very heavy blow,” added the colonel. Gomina.
In recent years, the country has witnessed an increase in attacks in the northern region, which have been blamed on jihadist groups based in neighboring countries.
More than 120 Beninese military officers have been killed between 2021 and December 2024, a diplomatic source told AFP.
Last month, gunmen killed three soldiers and wounded four others guarding an oil pipeline in the northeast.
Colonel Gomina did not give a death toll in Wednesday's attack, but the main opposition party, the Democrats, said about 30 soldiers were killed in the Alibori area, Reuters reported.
A security source put the death toll at 28, according to AFP.
“We are continuing the clearing operations. Forty attackers have been neutralized so far,” the military source added.
Colonel Gomina said the attacked position was “one of the strongest and most militarized” and urged military commanders to improve their operational strategies to counter security threats.
“Wake up, officers and section chiefs, we have battles to win,” he said.
In 2022 Benin has deployed nearly 3,000 troops to curb cross-border incursions and bolster security in the north.