Benin has been experiencing a spiral of terrorist attacks since 2021. As in some neighbouring countries, mainly Burkina Faso and Togo, the repercussions of these attacks are creating displacements of populations to northwestern regions of Benin, as well as internally displaced persons (IDPs) in the country who are fleeing attacked areas, particularly the departments of Atacora and Alibori. Dr. Adbel Aziz Mossi, Socio-anthropologist, lecturer-researcher, specialist on violent extremism, especially in the coastal countries of West Africa, gives a snapshot of population movements in this security context in Benin to Dialogue Migration.

State  of security in northern Benin and implications for population mobility

 The issue of security in Benin is that today we have the two departments of Alibori and Atacora in Benin that have been affected since 2021. Since 2021, these two departments have suffered  terrorist attacks from mainly two groups operating  in the area, namely the JNIM, and the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara.

The current (editor’s note August) death toll of the attacks  is between 65 or even 70 civilians  while more than twenty security forces have been killed.  The security situation also means that a lot of people are displaced. We have internally displaced people as well as people who have come from neighbouring countries such as Burkina Faso and Togo because of insecurity. 

Today, Benin has just over 5,200 displaced people internally or refugees from neighbouring countries. This situation is a major difficulty for the local population, although the defence and security forces are working hard to repel or contain the phenomenon. The populations are still in a general state of psychosis, especially since people do not have the peace of mind needed to go about their business. One of the consequences of these terrorist attacks is the government-imposed curfew which prohibits mobility from 7 p.m. to 6 a.m. hampering the activities of the population. In these areas, night activities , especially in relation to small traders and the market, are high as people farm their lands in the morning.  

“So, you understand that, under these conditions, the markets end up no longer supporting the demand, leading to difficulties in the supply of food and other products useful on a daily basis. It also leads to a change in the relationship between the Defence and Security Forces and the population. Their relationship is not always friendly. This is marked by repression and frustration, etc. Nor does any of this make collaboration any easier,” Dr. Adbel Aziz Mossi pointed out. 

The socio-anthropologist noted that the people from neighbouring countries are often exposed to a lot of bad weather, and this requires interventions both from state structures and from civil society organisations. This movement of people also has an impact on the host community because a large number of these people live in the community, in families, etc draining family budgets. The refugees have needs in terms of activities, especially agriculture.

However, the issue of land is one of the conflicting issues in these areas where access to arable land for newcomers is not always easy. It should also be noted that due to violent extremist groups in the area, there has been a significant slowdown in activities. One factor is that there are activities prohibited by the state in some areas such as  the sale of fuel, which is one of the flourishing activities in these border areas. 

Fuel smuggling, the main activity of most youth, is no longer allowed  as this is fought at the border. These youth also have kidnapping as an income-generating activity, especially in the Atacora area where many people are killed or disappear. Many fishermen working on the Pendjari River or farmers who have to go to the field have been kidnapped or killed. 

All these illegal activities worry the community, most of whom no longer go to  these places where they used to carry out their economic activities. The situation also has a major impact   on the survival of populations, and weakens the resilience of these communities. Many of these people are unable to go to the farms. In the past, the people of Banikoara move to live on farms during the rainy season, a little further away from the villages and agglomerations. Today, all these activities have been disrupted for   fear of terrorist attacks. This has led to major difficulties for production, but also for the economic survival of the populations in areas where access to land is not easy.

“When people give up their land located in insecure areas, it is difficult for them to get other farmland in safer places. And even when there are lands in secure locations, it is often land that is no longer fertile due to the massive use of chemicals like fertilisers, pesticides, and herbicides. The use of these chemicals contributes to soil pollution. Communities prefer to clear new land further from the degraded soil to farm. Today, the presence of jihadist groups prevents farming habits and activities. 

“All these activities, jihadist groups’ presence, kidnapping, killing, smuggling are serious obstacles to the mobility of populations, but also to many activities people are used to carrying out, Dr. Adbel Aziz Mossi concluded.

Security-related travel issues in Benin

Benin is a country with a tradition of mobility with many communities moving inside and outside the country. This phenomenon is not necessarily related to security. However, the current insecurity in the northern part of the country is a major contributing factor to this.

Mobility is not new for  communities or in the Beninese context especially among  communities in the north. These are practices that are age-old,  though insecurity has accentuated them. It must also be said that Benin is a land of hospitality that welcomes many  people from the sub-region.

“We have many foreign communities that are settled throughout the national territory and that benefit from the reception of indigenous populations,” the lecturer added.

For the past thirty years, Benin has been experimenting with democracy. As a result of political crises, there have been displaced persons from neighbouring countries. “I would especially like to mention Togo in the years 1992-1993, which recorded many displaced persons to Benin. We also have many Nigerians who have fled to Benin and many have stayed permanently. Indeed, the many political crises leading to  the movements of people have created multicultural communities, particularly around the borders with neighbouring countries. 

However today, insecurity has created  other types of displaced people not necessarily linked to political crises. They are looking for a safer place. This is particularly the case for internally displaced persons. In the town of Kérou, for example, at the beginning of May, there was a bloody attack that left about twenty people dead. This created a general commotion in the commune and led to a lot of internal displacement, Dr Mossi said. 

Communities located in or near the attacked villages have moved to either the city centre or other nearby communes in search of a safer place. Naturally, this will also create some pressure on the land as rural populations who practise agriculture will therefore need to have new land in the host territories, he explained. It can be noted that all these issues  contribute to reinforcing the socio-economic crisis and sometimes lead to internal community conflicts. “Since our communities are hospitable communities, there can be cohabitation conflicts that can lead to a lot of frustration, but also cases of exclusion from the communities,” the researcher added.

Solutions to displacement is linked to the security situation in northern Benin and the sub-region

According to socio-anthropologist Dr Mossi, the State plays a key role in addressing the migration issue, benefit from  the international institutions in charge of welcoming migrants properly 

“The state must also find income-generating activities. Create space for those who want to get involved in agriculture; provide funds to those who are in business. Above all, civil society organisations must also invest in raising awareness for peaceful coexistence between displaced people and host families or host communities. Because there  can be friction between the displaced and the host communities, precisely related to access to the means of production. Above all, it is necessary to ensure that human rights are respected in the places where these people settle, whether they are internally displaced persons or refugees who have arrived from neighbouring countries, he said.

Insecurity is at the root of other dynamics. The movement of people outside Benin needs to be looked into as some people around Karimama move  to Niger.I even though it is at a smaller scale. “There are still a few families who have moved and who are not necessarily welcomed by the Nigerien state in an institutional or structural way. So, I think that actions must also be sub-regional so as not to witness deportations as we have seen in Ghana with regard to Burkinabe refugees. I think that our States need to show solidarity with each other, because our communities on both sides of the borders are sometimes the same. They have the same families, the same languages, they are the same communities. It is therefore important that the receptions of these communities are marked by solidarity and that States can work hand in hand to ensure the resilience capacities of these communities by giving them the means to survive in the host areas,” Dr Mossi concluded.