W National Park massacre

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W National Park massacre
Plaque du Parc du W.jpg
The park entrance sign in Benin
Location W National Park, Benin
Coordinates 12°2′27.64″N3°2′3.42″E / 12.0410111°N 3.0342833°E / 12.0410111; 3.0342833
Date8 February 2022;2 years ago (2022-02-08) (West Africa Time)
WeaponsLand mines, explosives
Deaths8
Perpetrators Jihadists in Burkina Faso (suspected)

On 8 February 2022, two African Parks patrol vehicles in Benin's W National Park were badly damaged by land mines, killing eight people. The incident, believed to have been perpetrated by Islamists, was one of the largest terrorist attacks in the country's history. [1] [2]

Contents

Background

Benin is more stable than most other countries in West Africa, and is one of the few nations to not have a major terrorism problem. However, beginning in late 2021, terrorism began to creep in from abroad, especially from the Sahel, which is to the north. In December 2021, the Porga attack occurred when gunmen (probably from Burkina Faso, which has a jihadist insurgency), raided a military outpost near the town of Porga in Atakora Department, killing two soldiers. In January 2022, a military vehicle collided with an improvised explosive device, killing two people. [3]

Massacre

On 8 February 2022 a patrol vehicle in W National Park was scouting for poachers when their vehicles hit two land mines planted by the terrorists. [3] Of the eight people killed in the explosion, five were park rangers, one a park official, another a French law enforcement officer, and the other a soldier. [4] [5] [6] Ten people were injured. [7] [8]

Aftermath

French authorities agreed to launch an investigation after learning that a French citizen was among the dead. [9] [10] African Parks issued a statement that they were working with French and Beninese authorities in response to the massacre. Beninese troops were sent to the park to maintain order. [11] Government authorities also held a meeting to discuss the attack. [12]

On 10 February another roadside bombing killed a civilian and a park ranger. The ranger initially survived the bombing but died after he was attacked by the perpetrators. [9] [5]

On 10 February the French Armed Forces conducted an airstrike on a base held by Jihadist rebels in Southern Burkina Faso. The official motive given was retaliation for the massacre. [13] [4] [9] [1]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Porga</span> Town found in the Atakora Department of Benin.

Porga is a town located in the Atakora Department of Benin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Operation Barkhane</span> French military operation

Operation Barkhane was a counterinsurgency operation that started on 1 August 2014 and formally ended on 9 November 2022. It was led by the French military against Islamist groups in Africa's Sahel region and consisted of a roughly 3,000-strong French force, which was permanently headquartered in N'Djamena, the capital of Chad. The operation was led in co-operation with five countries, all of which are former French colonies that span the Sahel: Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania and Niger. Mali was a part of the operation until August 2022. The countries are collectively referred to as the "G5 Sahel". The operation was named after a crescent-shaped dune type that is common in the Sahara desert.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jihadist insurgency in Niger</span> Civil conflict in Niger

Since 2015, the border area between Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger has been a hotbed for jihadist forces originating from Mali. The insurgency has taken place in two distinct regions of Niger. In southwest, the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara and the Nusrat al-Islam have carried out attacks in the tri-border area with Burkina Faso and Mali. Meanwhile, in the southeast, the Islamic State in the West African Province has established control in parts of southern Niger.

This article lists events from the year 2021 in Niger.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jihadist insurgency in Burkina Faso</span> Ongoing insurgency in Burkina Faso (2015–present)

An ongoing war and civil conflict between the Government of Burkina Faso and Islamist rebels began in August 2015 and has led to the displacement of over 2 million people and the deaths of at least 10,000 civilians and combatants.

On 1–2 December 2021 a group of unidentified militants attacked a military outpost in Porga, Atakora Department, northwestern Benin near its border with Burkina Faso.

Events in the year 2022 in Benin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Volunteers for the Defense of the Homeland</span> Armed group in Burkina Faso

The Volunteers for the Defense of the Homeland is an armed self-defense group in Burkina Faso created to fight jihadist insurgents. It is an auxiliary force supporting the Burkina Faso Armed Forces.

On 25 May 2022, armed assailants suspected to be jihadists attacked the rural locality of Madjoari in the Kompienga Province of Burkina Faso. The massacre left at least 50 civilians dead as they were attempting to flee a blockade. It was the third attack to take place in Madjoari in May 2022, after an attack on 14 May that killed 17 civilians and another on 19 May that killed 11 soldiers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Islamist insurgency in the Sahel</span> Insurgency throughout the Sahel and West Africa

An Islamist insurgency has been ongoing in the Sahel region of West Africa since the 2011 Arab Spring. In particular, the intensive conflict in the three countries of Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso has been referred to as the Sahel War.

On June 12, 2022, at least 100 civilians were killed in a massacre by suspected Islamists in the village of Seytenga, located in a department of the same name in Séno Province, Burkina Faso.

On August 9, 2022, two bombings in Namssiguia, Bam Province, Burkina Faso killed 15 Burkinabe soldiers and injured an unknown number of others.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Siege of Djibo</span> Battle between Burkina Faso and Jihadist rebels

The siege of Djibo is an ongoing blockade of the city of Djibo in Burkina Faso by several factions of Jihadist Islamist rebels. The siege began in February 2022, and is part of the Jihadist insurgency in Burkina Faso.

In early July 2022, two separate massacres occurred in Bourasso, Kossi Province and Namissiguima Department, Yatenga Province in Burkina Faso. The massacre in Bourasso killed 22 people, and the one in Namissiguima killed 12.

The Karma massacre was a massacre in the village of Karma, Burkina Faso. The massacre occurred on 20 April 2023 and is suspected to have been carried out by the 3rd Battalion of the Rapid Intervention Brigade from the Burkina Faso Armed Forces. Between 60-156 civilians were killed in the massacre making it one of the worst in the Burkina Faso insurgency.

On April 24, 2022, militants from Katibat Macina attacked Malian Army bases in the cities of Sévaré, Niono, and Bapho, all in central Mali's Mopti Region. The attacks killed fifteen soldiers and six civilians.

References

  1. 1 2 "France Says Air Strikes Kill 40 in Burkina Linked to Benin Attacks". The Defense Post. 2022-02-14. Retrieved 2022-02-14.
  2. ↑ "Five rangers, soldier killed in attack in Benin, park management says". news.yahoo.com. Retrieved 2022-02-16.
  3. 1 2 "Death toll in Benin national park attacks rises as France opens terror probe". France 24. 2022-02-11. Retrieved 2022-02-14.
  4. 1 2 "French air raids kill 40 fighters in Burkina Faso". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 2022-02-14.
  5. 1 2 "Attacks in north Benin park kill 8 including French citizen". The Toronto Star. 2022-02-11. ISSN   0319-0781 . Retrieved 2022-02-14.
  6. ↑ "French national among six killed in Benin attack, sources say". National Post. 2022-02-10. Retrieved 2022-02-14.
  7. ↑ "Five rangers, one soldier killed in Benin park ambush". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 2022-02-14.
  8. ↑ "Casualties as 'militants' ambush park rangers in Benin". TRT World . Retrieved 2022-02-14.
  9. 1 2 3 "France Says Airstrikes Kill 40 in Burkina Linked to Benin Attacks". VOA. Retrieved 2022-02-14.
  10. ↑ "France condemns attack in Benin national park, checking on any French victims | Law-Order". Devdiscourse. Retrieved 2022-02-14.
  11. ↑ "BENIN: Impact of the massacre of 5 rangers in the W National Park in northern Benin". Afrik 21. 2022-02-11. Retrieved 2022-02-14.
  12. ↑ "Bénin : le gouvernement fait le point sur les incidents meurtriers au parc W". RFI (in French). 2022-02-11. Retrieved 2022-02-14.
  13. ↑ Welle (www.dw.com), Deutsche. "French forces 'neutralize' 40 militants in Burkina Faso | DW | 12.02.2022". DW.COM. Retrieved 2022-02-14.
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