Benin: Seeds of a crisis

A Beninese military armored personnel carrier patrols the streets of Porga, a town on the border with Burkina Faso. The northern regions of Benin are now militarized due to numerous incursions by jihadist fighters. The latest attack took place on 26 June, 2022, when a police station in Dassari, in the Atacora department, was attacked by armed men who killed two police officers.

At checkpoints around of Porga, all vehicles are screened to prevent jihadist infiltration. Most of the attacks that hit Benin were claimed by the the Support Group for Islam and Muslims (GSIM) jihadist alliance which is trying to expand its influence into the Gulf of Guinea countries.

The insecurity has directly threatened Father Igor Armand Kassah, a Catholic priest serving in the parish of Christ-Roi in Porga, who can no longer carry out his religious duties. Since December 2021, the area around Porga has suffered four attacks by extremists.

Dozens of seized motorbikes are parked outside the Beninese gendarmerie headquarters in Porga. Most belong to suspected jihadists. According to authorities, there have been hundreds of arrests of presumed militants since June 2021. Today, experts claim that extremist microcells may be recruiting among the local population.

Mounou Y'Moussa is the imam of Porga's central mosque and has already faced several threats from alleged extremists. According to him, the Islamic community has started suffering intimidation and some have been urged to fight. "Now everyone is afraid, and those who know something about jihadists do not have the bravery to come out and denounce them."

"Religion is exploited by criminal extremist groups who play on the resentment of marginalized and poor communities to extend their networks and further their illegal trafficking," explains Professor Oswald Padonou of the Beninese Association of Strategic and Security Studies (ABESS)

Porga is located within the buffer zone of the Pendjari National Park. It's an inaccessible area where jihadists have found a strategic shelter. The armed rangers of the South Africa-based organization African Parks, which manages the reserves, have been victims of attacks in recent months and are now engaged in military operations.

Benin's northern regions are the most affected by the climate crisis. Temperatures could rise by 2 degrees Celsius by 2060. Rainfall has decreased dramatically, soil erosion has increased and droughts are more frequent. Desertification is now a reality, as well as severe deforestation.

Tanguieta, a town in the Atacora department, is among the main urban agglomerations in northern Benin with a steadily increasing population, as evidenced by the average growth of 3% across the country. At the same time, water resources and fertile land are diminishing — increasing friction among communities.

Workers load a huge truckload of cotton just outside a village in Atacora. In recent years, Benin has become one of Africa's largest cotton producers. In 2021, production broke all previous records. This crop is driving deforestation, creating environmental damage and increasing social resentment.

A young Peul man leads his herd of zebu to graze in the Tounkountuna district. Transhumance for the semi-nomadic Peul has been getting harder. With land in short supply and water resources scarce, disputes with sedentary ethnic groups are escalating.

Simplice Mangopa is an experienced Wama ethnic farmer from the village of Boribansifa, south of Pendjari Park. In January 2022, he was directly involved in clashes with Peul community members. In recent years, an escalation of intercommunal violence has been recorded in north-central Benin. Since 2017, violent events in Benin have increased by 30%.

Simplice Mangopa examines a wound on his son, who was hit by a bullet during a clash in his village last January. "The Peul problem is a very urgent one. There is no longer enough land or water for everyone. The authorities assured us that they would find another place for the Peul, but I know it is not possible." Mangopa says.

In the Bona village of Tanguieta, a group of villagers settle a dispute under a large mango tree. Lack of resources and internal migration are changing ancient social relations. It is in this context that extremism seeks to expand, taking advantage of the absence of institutions in order to penetrate deeper into the region.