AFRICA/BENIN - Bishop after jihadist attack on a village on the border with Nigeria: "A constant threat to our pastoral activities"

Cotonou (Agenzia Fides) - "Jihadists attacked the police station, looted houses, stole motorcycles and cars, and then fled with at least six civilians," reports His Exc. Msgr. Martin Adjou Moumouni Martin Adjou Moumouni, Bishop of N'Dali, the diocese in Benin, whose territory includes the village of Kalalé, which was attacked at dawn this Wednesday, September 10, by an armed group from neighboring Nigeria.
"We do not know if this is the same group from Nigeria that kidnapped a Catholic believer last month for ransom. After negotiations, this person was released without payment," reports Bishop Adjou Moumouni.
"Nigerian Jihadists have long been spreading terror in our diocese, especially in rural areas," emphasizes the bishop. "We were forced to suspend pastoral activities in the villages, and even in the city, I asked the priests of my diocese to hold services only during daylight hours, as insecurity increases with nightfall."
The Nigerian jihadists, who are likely linked to groups associated with Boko Haram, currently appear to have primarily economic motives: They are looting villages and taking hostages for ransom. But, as Bishop Adjou Moumouni says, "they constantly threaten to prevent the proclamation of the Gospel." "This is an area where missionaries from the Society of African Missions (SMA) were primarily active. In Kalalé, we had to withdraw the sisters of the Society of Jesus the Savior, an order of Spanish origin, due to the threat posed by the jihadists," concludes the Bishop of N'Dali.
In addition to the groups from Nigeria, jihadist organizations from Burkina Faso and Niger are also active in Benin. (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides, 11/9/2025)

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