It would appear that Benin is now taking threats of terrorism seriously, claiming to have detained 700 suspects, most of whom are from Benin, Nigeria, Niger, and Burkina Faso (northafricapost.com, May 23). The hostages were, however, freed by the bandits, who were loosely affiliated to JNIM or Islamic State in Greater Sahara (ISGS) (france24.com, May 5, 2019). Ansaru’s first ever kidnapping of a British and Italian engineer was also in Kebbi State, Nigeria, which is just across the border from Benin. The fact that Hausa is the lingua franca in northern Nigeria as well as in some neighboring parts of northern Benin helps facilitate cross-border operations by Nigerian bandits and jihadists like Ansaru. Alas, the MNJTF’s lack of funding is hampering its ability to conduct operations around Lake Chad, let alone increase its efforts along Benin’s borders (zagazola.org, July 6).

Source: The North Africa Journal July 21, 2023 22:20 UTC