According to researcher Kars de Brujne, these nomadic breeders were “massively targeted by the security forces during the past year”, while clashes with farmers multiply.
by Pierre LEPIDI (Cotonou, Special Envoy)
The region is classified as “military zone”, prohibited for journalists. This northern part of Benin draws an arc of a circle ranging from the departments of Atacora to Borgou, via the Alibori. On the map of the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, this territory traced in red is “formally not recommended due to possible activities of armed groups and the risk of kidnapping”. It includes the border areas of Burkina Faso and Niger, the national parks of W and the Pendjari, as well as the northeast border with Nigeria.
The danger is real. “Since December 2021, Benin has undergone an increasing number of attacks related to extremist groups,” explains Kars de Brujne, a researcher specializing in conflicts within the Dutch Institute for International Relations Clingendael and author of a report published in December: “We have identified 43 between December 2021 and September 2022. These groups exploited local tensions and promise to solve the problems related to access to natural resources.”
They operate from Burkina Faso, Niger and, to a lesser extent, Togo and Nigeria. “But there are many evidence of the emergence of a Beninese jihad and it would be dangerous to deny or underestimate his presence,” adds Kars de Brujne.
Even if the situation deteriorated in 2022, a senior territory security official, who wishes to keep anonymity, assures that it remains “under control”. “Today, we manage to contain the attacks, even if it is true that they are increasing, he says. We have not left a square meter of territory to the terrorists.” According to him, these Men would all have the same profile: “Quite young, moving permanently with their herd … They wish the recognition of their cultural identity.” Without naming them, he designates the Peuls, a mostly Muslim people established through Africa of the ‘West.
This stigmatization of the Peul community seems to have always existed in northern Benin, and elsewhere in the countries of the sub-region, such as Mali or Burkina Faso. It is mainly linked to their lifestyle. “As they are nomadic breeders, Fulani can rarely follow a complete education, recalls Seidou Boubé, president of the association of breeders Seho Suudu Baaba. Being less educated than the others, they never have access to administrative positions in Justice or the police. “It is also difficult for them to obtain official documents, starting with birth acts, and thus being recognized as full citizens.
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