Executive Summary

For many years, Benin has been a relatively stable country in West Africa. However, recent years saw a drastic increase in terrorist activity. We assess that Benin faces a continuously rising escalation of terrorist threat, primarily in its northern regions bordering Burkina Faso and Niger.

The threat originates from both Jama’at Nasr al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) and the Islamic State (IS) operating out of the W-Arly-Pendjari (WAP) complex. Despite government investment in security measures and international partnerships, terrorist attacks have increased. The country experiences one of the sharpest rises in extremist militant attacks in Africa [source].