Claim: Terrorists kill over 600 Benin soldiers at Cotonou barracks
Source: WhatsApp
Verdict: False
Researched by Alfa Shaban
A viral WhatsApp video showing armed men with sounds of gunshots in the background claims over 600 soldiers were killed by terrorists in Benin Republic.
The 2 minutes and 38 seconds video, which was labeled ‘forwarded many times’ on WhatsApp bore the caption: “Terrorist attacked Cotonou Barracks in Benin Republic killed over 600 soldiers and carted away their arms and ammunition….”
A copy of the video shared with GhanaFact, shows scores of hooded men, some wearing military fatigue and wielding guns, patrolling through a place that has the features of a military base.
The sound of sustained gunfire is heard in the background as some of them pack what looks like arms and other supplies into a military truck. In the final 40 seconds of the footage, the armed men are seen verifying whether soldiers lying prostrate in a trench are dead.
This report will verify the following claims from the WhatsApp post:
- How many soldiers were killed?
- Where did the attack take place?
Fact-check
Per GhanaFact checks, the initial report of a terrorist attack on the Benin military was on April 19, when conflict researchers on social media reported that an attack took place at Kandi, citing a video released by the Al-Qaeda-linked terrorist group, Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal Muslimeen (JNIM).
The group gave a death toll of 70 soldiers in the operation (video here).
On April 23, the Benin government confirmed the attack and gave a death toll of 54.
“Heavy losses for the nation,” Serge Nonvignon, the presidential spokesperson wrote in a Facebook post on April 23.
Another government spokesperson, Wilfried Leandre Houngbedji, said that Benin was determined to continue the fight against the jihadists. “We won’t give in… I can assure you that sooner or later, sooner or later, we will win,” he said.
From the JNIM and government tolls of 70 and 54 respectively, the 600 figure in the WhatsApp post is exaggerated.
Verdict
The claim on the death toll is rated False.
Where did the attack take place?
Using Google location, GhanaFact checks show that there is a military camp in the town of Kandi, which appears to be where the attack took place.
Kandi lies on Benin’s main north-south highway, 650 km from Cotonou and 523 km north of the capital Porto-Novo. The town is the capital of the department of Alibori.
Also, the surroundings in the viral video show makeshift tents and other structures like trenches and weapons holding areas that are usually found in military camps not in barracks as suggested in the viral WhatsApp post.
Verdict
The attack did not happen in Cotonou but in Kandi. Therefore, the location stated in the claim is false.
