Cotonou – Former park ranger Boniface remembers the time he used to set up cameras to monitor wildlife in northern Benin’s Pendjari National Park, once a tourist attraction known for its Big Game, bordering Burkina Faso and Niger.
These days, Boniface — whose name AFP has changed for security reasons — no longer dares venture into the vast reserve spanning 5,000 square kilometres (1,930 square miles) that jihadists have transformed into a virtual no-go zone.
Once considered one of the last sanctuaries of wildlife in west Africa, Pendjari has become a haven for Islamist fighters from the Sahel branch of Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State, who infiltrate from neighbouring Burkina Faso and Niger.
Benin troops have increasingly faced attacks from jihadists during President Patrice Talon’s last term in office.
After two five-year mandates, Talon is stepping down and security in the country’s north will be a major issue for voters choosing his successor in Sunday’s election.
His chosen successor and finance minister, Romuald Wadagni, is the overwhelming favorite against Paul Hounkpe, who is viewed as a moderate.
While Benin has not seen attacks in the south where the economic capital Cotonou has undergone rapid development during Talon’s tenure, jihadists are no longer just present but have “taken root” in northern Benin, according to the NGO ACLED, which tracks conflicts worldwide.
“The only area where we are still struggling remains the fight against terrorism on the country’s northern border,” Talon said in a national address at the end of 2024.
Whoever wins the election will face an increasing threat of spillover from jihadist wars in the Sahel, conflicts also threatening the northern regions of Benin’s Gulf of Guinea neighbours, Togo and Ghana.
“Life has become very difficult here,” said Boniface, a former employee of the Pendjari National Park conservation service.
“We are unemployed, dependent on our wives, and security is nothing like it used to be.”
Marcel Ahouandjinou, 42, a motorcycle taxi driver, said the northern situation worried everyone.
“Even here in Cotonou, we sense that the situation could escalate. I listen to the candidates, especially on this point,” he said.
The local entrenchment of armed groups, combined with the suspension of military cooperation with Niger and Burkina Faso following a diplomatic crisis, has contributed to a resurgence of deadly attacks.
– 2025, the ‘deadliest’ year –
The violence has severely impacted an already fragile regional economy in the least developed area of the country.
“Insecurity is already hindering agricultural production in some localities where schools remain closed. This exacerbates the precarious situation and triggers population displacements,” a Beninese security expert, who asked for anonymity, told AFP.
Markets are often disrupted by restrictions imposed in the evenings, either by the state or by armed groups, he said.
In Segbana, a border town with Nigeria affected by jihadist attacks, a shopkeeper said: “I had considered moving elsewhere. But where could I go? How can I start over when I’ve always lived here?”
It was less than 100 kilometres (62 miles) away in the town of Kandi where ruling party candidate Wadagni launched his campaign, promising to develop the north and strengthen security.
His platform includes the creation of community policing units and the revitalisation of security cooperation with Burkina and Niger.
His associates say he is capable of resuming dialogue with the juntas of those countries, currently hostile to Benin, which they consider too pro-Western.
“It’s a realistic approach, but these measures won’t be enough. What’s needed above all are measures of social justice and justice in general,” the Beninese expert said.
Since 2022, Benin has deployed 3,000 soldiers in its northern region as part of Operation Mirador, combining military action with development projects led by a civil-military unit.
To break its diplomatic isolation vis-a-vis Burkina and Niger, the country has strengthened its partnerships, particularly with Europe.
France maintains an important, albeit discreet role by sending equipment and instructors, Tanguy Quidelleur, at the European Centre for Sociology and Political Science, said in a November study.
Private security companies such as the American firm Amentum also play a role in the outsourcing of security: aircraft maintenance, supervision and operational training for Beninese forces, the researcher said.
Despite such resources, Benin is struggling to curb the escalating violence.
The year 2025 has even become “the deadliest” for the army, according to ACLED, which noted that the Benin-Niger-Nigeria border region is the new epicentre of jihadism in west Africa.
According to an expert report presented to the UN Security Council in February, Al-Qaeda’s Sahelian branch recently appointed an “emir for Benin.”
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Source: AFP
