Benin, like its neighboring countries, is facing a series of terrorist attacks. The latest to date have cost the lives of several civilians and make people fear the worst, as they no longer feel safe in this country long perceived as a haven of peace.
The northern part of Benin at the beginning of May was the scene of two deadly attacks in Kérou and Banikoara. These attacks of unparalleled violence cost the lives of twenty people, including fifteen villagers whose throats were slit by the assailants. A very sad news spread in the media and which moved everyone. The shock produced by these unexpected and barbaric attacks is such that even the dismissal of the commissioner of Kaobagouand the opening of the investigation requested by the President of the Republic don’t seem to fix things.
Credit: Aimé DA CRUZ
Should we fear the worst?
Kérou and Banikoara, two red classified areas, were subject to special military and police surveillance. A fact that further worries public opinion, which raises many questions. Questions about the effectiveness of our intelligence services, and our public security and defense forces. More than ever, the fear of seeing even more deadly atrocities reoccur in people’s minds. The examples of Burkina Fasoof Maliof Nigeria a you Niger contribute a lot to this fear. These countries have experienced similar attacks in the past, but are now facing attacks of a greater intensity. Psychosis has gained ground. Consequently, some inhabitants of these localities are already thinking of taking the key to the fields.
Credit: Aimé DA CRUZ
A joint struggle that is essential
In post on his Facebook page, the former President of the Republic of Benin Boni Yayi first condemned the barbaric attack in Kaobagou (Kérou). Before raising secondly the question of the pooling and coordination of intelligence services and military actions. Terrorism does today far too many victims in Africa. In West Africa, the free movement of goods and people has encouraged the mobility of terrorist groups. Very quickly, the latter took many countries of the ECOWAS region by storm. The various efforts made so far by the authorities to fight against this scourge do not seem to bear fruit. The joint action card is now the only possible alternative to overcome this nebula.
For this reason, the fight against terrorism was the main subject of the visit to Burkina Faso February 16, 2023 from the President of Benin. This was also the case during the visit of his counterpart nigerian in March and from that Rwandan in April. President Patrice Talon has understood this. South-South cooperation is essential to secure our common borders, but also to avoid future bloody incursions.