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Country analysis

Benin


Since the beginning of 2021, non-state armed groups (NSAGs) linked to the Islamic State or al-Qaeda in the Sahel have intensified their attacks in Benin as a result of a spillover of the protracted security and humanitarian crisis in Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger. The geographic expansion of this crisis is increasingly affecting the northern regions of coastal countries in the Gulf of Guinea, including Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, and Togo.

NSAGs initially attacked military positions but have since been targeting civilians. As they advanced south from the Sahel, they established a safe base for their operations in the forests near the Burkina Faso border.

Until May 2024, Benin continued to record a high number of incidents, including attacks on civilians and clashes between NSAGs and security forces. There has also been a significant increase in enforced and attempted kidnappings of civilians in the north over recent years, heightening protection concerns.

By July 2023, there were over 8,700 IDPs in northern Benin, the majority of whom lived in the municipalities of Banikoara, Karimama, and Matera. In April 2024, Benin was also hosting around 13,000 refugees and asylum seekers, mainly from Burkina Faso, Central African Republic, and Togo.

(GRANIT 31/01/2024, IFRI 11/02/2022, ECOWAS 07/03/2024, WFP 06/02/2024, UNHCR 15/05/2024)

Since the beginning of 2021, non-state armed groups (NSAGs) linked to the Islamic State or al-Qaeda in the Sahel have intensified their attacks in Benin as a result of a spillover of the protracted security and humanitarian crisis in Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger. The geographic expansion of this crisis is increasingly affecting the northern regions of coastal countries in the Gulf of Guinea, including Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, and Togo.

NSAGs initially attacked military positions but have since been targeting civilians. As they advanced south from the Sahel, they established a safe base for their operations in the forests near the Burkina Faso border.

Until May 2024, Benin continued to record a high number of incidents, including attacks on civilians and clashes between NSAGs and security forces. There has also been a significant increase in enforced and attempted kidnappings of civilians in the north over recent years, heightening protection concerns.

By July 2023, there were over 8,700 IDPs in northern Benin, the majority of whom lived in the municipalities of Banikoara, Karimama, and Matera. In April 2024, Benin was also hosting around 13,000 refugees and asylum seekers, mainly from Burkina Faso, Central African Republic, and Togo.

(GRANIT 31/01/2024, IFRI 11/02/2022, ECOWAS 07/03/2024, WFP 06/02/2024, UNHCR 15/05/2024)

current crises
in Benin

BEN002 - Conflict in northern region in Benin

Last updated 30/01/2025


Drivers

Conflict
Displacement
Violence

Crisis level

Country

Severity level

2 Low

Access constraints

1.0

Analysis products
on Benin

Benin: Conflict in Alibori and Atacora

07 February 2025

Benin: Conflict in Alibori and Atacora

DOCUMENT / PDF / 677 KB

In January 2025, violence in northern Benin continued to escalate, with recent attacks by Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) in the border area between Benin, Burkina Faso, and Niger underscoring persistent insecurity.

Conflict and violence
Migration in West and North Africa

30 November 2018

Migration in West and North Africa

DOCUMENT / PDF / 855 KB

These scenarios consider how migration dynamics within and via West and North Africa (including across the Mediterranean Sea) might evolve in the first half of 2019 and the potential humanitarian consequences. The aim is to support strategic planning, create awareness and promote preparedness activities for policymakers and other actors working on migration.

Mixed migration
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