Benin and Rwanda fight terrorism with joint military cooperation

Ahmed Adel

The northern border region between Benin and Burkina Faso, which is approximately 306 kilometers long, has become outside the control of government forces between the two countries with the recent increase in the pace of armed operations in Benin.

Rwanda intervenes

In the same context, Rwandan President Paul Kagame announced on Saturday, April 15, during his meeting with Beninese President Patrice Talon, the necessary military and logistical support to combat terrorist organizations deployed in the border area between Burkina Faso and Benin.

Immediately, Benin sent 5,000 soldiers to the northern borders of the Sahel countries to strengthen the fight against terrorism and the armed organizations deployed in that region from Burkina Faso.

Burkina is powerless

The government in Burkina Faso was unable to tighten control over the terrorist organizations that extend on the northern borders of the Sahel countries in the West African region, namely Togo, Ghana, Benin and Côte d’Ivoire.

In 2022, Benin announced talks with Rwanda on military and logistical cooperation to combat terrorism and extremism in Mozambique and the Central African Republic.

Togo, Côte d’Ivoire and Benin are suffering from attacks by terrorist organizations deployed along the coast of the Gulf of Guinea. On the other hand, Ghana has strengthened its military presence along its northern borders and has been able to stop the armed operations.

In September 2022, the government in Benin signed a military cooperation agreement with Rwanda that stipulates the deployment of about 700 soldiers in northern Benin to provide support to the regular forces in the field of combating terrorist organizations, in addition to providing military and logistical support, in light of the high pace of armed operations and the constant targeting of northern Benin by the Jamaat Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin, which is affiliated with al-Qaeda, and ISIS in the Greater Sahara region.

In December 2021, Benin witnessed the first increase in terrorist attacks, especially targeting Pendjari Park in the northwest of the country, which prompted the government in Benin to establish a military base affiliated with it in that volatile region. But with the passage of time, the government was unable to stop the issue, and terrorist operations continued, and even increased, after the storming of two police stations in Monsey and Dassari.

ISIS and al-Qaeda in the picture

Jamaat Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin is spread in that region in northern Benin, but ISIS also recently began to establish a foothold in that region, especially the Usman Dan Fodio group.

Mohamed al-Sharqawi, a researcher in African affairs, said that Rwandan President Paul Kagame’s pledge to his Beninese counterpart, Patrice Talon, to provide military support to fight militants flocking from Burkina Faso to Benin’s northern border comes as an attempt to limit the spread of radical rebellion in West Africa, where there has been a sharp increase in the terrorist operations of al-Qaeda and ISIS in the past months.

In exclusive statements to the Reference, Sharqawi added that attempts to coordinate between the two countries to obtain military support began last year and increased with the failure of the authorities in Burkina Faso to contain the rebellion, which is expanding on the northern borders of four Sahel countries in West Africa, namely Benin, Togo, Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire.

Sharqawi ruled out successes as a result of this military cooperation since the relations between the two countries are nothing but a regional weight, and cooperation will not depart from supervision, training and joint publication, not to mention the presence of international parties with great influence in the region.

He pointed out that Benin has recently become one of the few countries enjoying relative stability in the West African region since the start of armed operations against it in 2021 by terrorist groups seeking to spread in the Gulf of Guinea region.