On the second leg of his three-nation African tour, French President Emmanuel Macron vowed to help Benin secure its borders against the threat of jihadist violence but refused to provide weapons until his counterpart Patrice Talon makes ‘sustainable’ political reforms.
During a meeting with Talon in Cotonou, Macron pledged his firm “support in air, intelligence, and equipment as well as training for the defence and security forces of Benin” to tackle jihadist violence in the region.
He vowed to provide modern equipment and weaponry, including drones, to Beninese security forces and help the country “structure how it arms its army.” To this end, France will soon deliver vehicles, demining equipment, bulletproof vests, and night vision equipment to the African nation.
In a joint press conference, Macron promised an “unprecedented partnership” with Benin in countering regional security threats, adding that it shall soon be an “example of development” in western Africa.
🇫🇷 🇧🇯 Séance de travail entre les délégations conduites par les Présidents @EmmanuelMacron et @PatriceTalonPR, suivie de la signature de plusieurs accords de partenariat entre la #France et le #Bénin. #BeninDiplomatie #Wasexo #Prbenin @Elysee pic.twitter.com/RX2eeC1pYH
— Présidence du Bénin (@PresidenceBenin) July 27, 2022
However, while Talon welcomed France’s support in intelligence and training, he stated that “unfortunately, we have so far not managed to convince French military authorities on certain aspects of military cooperation, particularly the supply of equipment,” asserting that “we need weapons.” He claimed that Benin has the capacity to purchase modern weaponry and told his French counterpart that “we expect benefit from you.”
In response, Macron agreed that this was a “legitimate request” but simultaneously cautioned that a “security response must be accompanied by political and developmental responses for it to be sustainable.”
The northern regions of Benin have been battling the spillover effects of Islamist insurgency from Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger. In May, the government reported more than 20 jihadist attacks by armed groups since the end of 2021. In fact, violent incidents have surged by over 30% in the country’s central and northern regions since 2017.
🇫🇷 🇧🇯 Arrivée au Palais de la Marina ce mercredi 27 juillet 2022 de S.E.M @EmmanuelMacron, Président de la République française où il a été accueilli par le #Prbenin @PatriceTalonPR. S’en est suivi un tête-à-tête entre les deux Chefs d’État. #BeninDiplomatie #Wasexo @Elysee @TF1 pic.twitter.com/qcNmhT29w1
— Présidence du Bénin (@PresidenceBenin) July 27, 2022
Macron’s wariness to deliver weapons to Benin comes against the backdrop of 75 opposition parliamentarians in France condemning the Talon administration’s “authoritarian excesses” and the “alarming” situation of political prisoners in the country.
International rights group Amnesty International has highlighted arbitrary arrests and detentions in Benin, specifically targeting journalists and opposition politicians. It has also noted the government’s moves to quell the freedom of peaceful assembly and expression.
Samira Daoud, Amnesty International's Regional Director for West and Africa, expressed concerns that “security forces are committing human rights violations in the context of the fight against armed groups in Benin,” and demanded Macron not to “gloss over these abuses in the name of a common global fight against terrorism, or France’s economic and political interests.”
In fact, Talon, who first came to power in 2016, was re-elected last April with 86% of the votes in an election that was marred by controversy due to the fact that several opposition politicians were either exiled, disqualified through arbitrary electoral reforms, placed under investigation by special courts, or boycotted the election of their own will due to concerns over its legitimacy. Talon was also accused of ‘ballot box stuffing’ and intimidating voters.
Against this backdrop, United States-based research organisation Freedom House demoted Benin from “free” to “partly free” in its 2020 report.
Talon, however, has dismissed these accusations, reaffirming that “no one is in prison for political reasons, they are in prison because they have committed crimes for political reasons.”
Emmanuel Macron has visited Benin
— Samuel Ramani (@SamRamani2) July 27, 2022
France is using this trip to highlight Russia’s neo-imperialism in Ukraine, which coincides with Lavrov’s Africa tour and Russia’s attacks on French neo-colonialism in the Sahel
Meanwhile, although Macron refused to accede to Talon’s request for weapons, he refrained from addressing human rights concerns and domestic political suppression. He instead used the opportunity to reiterate his sharp criticism of Russia’s “territorial war” in Ukraine. He compared the Kremlin’s offensives to Africa’s colonial imperialist history, claiming that “it’s a war from the early 20th, even the 19th century, the likes of which we thought had disappeared from European soil.”
For the most part, Macron has leveraged his tour to address France’s waning influence in the region, where anti-French sentiments are on the rise in countries such as Chad and Senegal; several French establishments have been targeted in recent anti-government demonstrations. Furthermore, two former French colonies—Gabon and Togo—joined the Commonwealth, further exemplifying a weakening French stronghold over the region.
La guerre en Ukraine a révélé la préexistence d'une dépendance alimentaire pour de nombreux pays, notamment sur le continent africain. Pour en sortir, nous devons passer d'une réponse d'urgence à une réponse structurelle. C'est l'objectif de l'initiative FARM : pic.twitter.com/ApJ9KcJM6S
— Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) July 26, 2022
Crucially, French troops stationed in Mali for over a decade to aid the country’s fight against radical Islamist threats have also been shown the door by the Malian junta, after it unilaterally terminated the decade-long Defense Cooperation Treaty with France, paving way for its expulsion. This has nudged Macron to reorient his security strategy in the region.
To this end, Macron reiterated in his visit to Cameroon on Tuesday that France remains “resolutely committed to the security of the continent, [and] acting in support and at the request of our African partners.” France’s evolving counterterrorism role on the continent will see it take more of a support role, wherein it defers to local forces and enables them to take the lead in operations. Despite these changes, Macron stressed, “We will not relinquish the security of the African continent.”
La restitution des 26 œuvres des Trésors royaux d'Abomey au Bénin, n'est ni une perte, ni une contrition, c'est une continuation de l'Histoire. Je m'y étais engagé en 2017 à Ouagadougou, et c'est avec émotion que je les ai aujourd'hui admirées dans leur pays. pic.twitter.com/XU3nI6p9P4
— Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) July 27, 2022
France has also been wary of the rising Chinese and Russian influence across the continent. In fact, his visit coincides with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s African tour. Analysts have described their simultaneous visits as a “war of influence.”
In pursuit of this ‘soft power’ approach, Macron’s visit to Benin yielded numerous agreements aimed at strengthening bilateral investments in education and boosting cultural ties. Macron also visited an exhibition of 26 artefacts that were looted by French colonial forces in 1892 and returned to Benin in November. Additionally, the two leaders agreed to establish an “artistic hotspot” in Cotonou. He will conclude his tour in Guinea-Bissau today before flying back home.