Country Profile
Former French colony Benin, previously known as Dahomey, gained independence on August 1, 1960. Benin was artificially formed by France from a collection of diverse kingdoms that were frequently at odds with one another and had not all achieved the same degree of political organization and social advancement. Benin is a low-income, politically stable country in West Africa that shares borders with Togo, Burkina Faso, Nigeria, and Niger. Its southern shore is on the Gulf of Guinea. Although Cotonou, a neighboring port city, serves as the government’s headquarters, Porto-Novo is the country’s actual capital. With a population of 11.18 million people, this democracy is active with civil society organizations and diverse, independent media.
Extremist Attacks
With regards to security, Benin was a relatively stable country until terrorism in the Sahel seeped into the country possibly because of its participation in a regional military offensive against Boko Haram.
Benin has been the target of numerous Boko Haram-style terrorist attacks over the past year. The most recent suicide attack in Benin City has many people convinced that Boko Haram has established a presence there. Since the attack of the US Embassy in Benin, the country has amplified its counter-terrorism efforts throughout the region. Nonetheless, according to the Armed Conflict Location Event Data project (ACLED), the nation experienced an increase of more than ten times the number of attacks from 2 to 25 between July and December 2022 compared to the same timeframe in 2021. The attackers most likely belonged to the JNIM, which is now generally regarded as the most potent militant jihadist organization in the Sahel.
