As fear grows that the militant Islamist insurgency that has taken over large parts of West Africa is spreading, security has become a dominant issue in Benin’s presidential campaign.
The Sunday presidential election comes about four months after outgoing President Patrice Talon survived a coup attempt, foiled when Nigeria, a regional power, sent warplanes to bomb mutinying soldiers trying to overthrow him.
Nigeria’s intervention prevented Benin from following the path of countries like Niger, Burkina Faso, and Mali, where military rulers have taken power in recent years as people lose confidence in civilian governments unable to stop militants linked to al-Qaeda or Islamic State (IS).
The threat posed by insurgents to Benin became clear when an al-Qaeda group, JNIM, killed 15 soldiers last month in an attack on a military base in Kofouno, near the Niger border. The problem persists, with 28 Benin soldiers killed in January in W National Park, which spans Niger and Burkina Faso, and another 54 killed three months later in the same park, making it the deadliest attack on soldiers in one location.
The National Park and nearby Pendjari and Arly parks are West Africa’s largest protected forest areas, covering about 1.7 million hectares. The forests are dense, and regional borders are porous, making it easy for militants to establish bases and move between countries without detection.
Violence monitoring group Acled says attacks have surged in border areas between Niger, Benin, and Nigeria, turning previously remote routes into conflict zones. At least 1,000 people have died in these areas in 2025, double the number in 2024, according to Acled.
Residents are terrified, with one school teacher saying, “We just want to work, teach the youth, but it’s getting very hard now. We can’t imagine our country becoming like Nigeria with the Boko Haram threat.”
Finance Minister Romuald Wadagni, 49, the ruling coalition’s candidate, has promised to make resident safety a “daily priority” if elected. His rival, Paul Hounkpè, 56, also vowed to cooperate with neighbors without losing dignity.
The next leader is expected to face pressure to improve relations with neighboring countries and control the insurgency.
