More than 120 Beninese soldiers were 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 country’s northeast.
Colonel Gomin did not give a death toll in Wednesday’s attack, but the main opposition Democrat party said about 30 soldiers were killed in the Alibori region, Reuters reported.
A security source put the death toll at 28, AFP reports.
“We continue the cleaning. At the moment, 40 attackers have been neutralized,” the military source added.
Colonel Gomin 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 deployed nearly 3,000 troops to deter cross-border incursions and bolster security in the country’s north.
