The President of the European Council Charles MICHEL was in Cotonou, Benin, on an official visit on April 25 and 26, 2024.
Arriving in Cotonou on the evening of Thursday April 25, 2024, Charles MICHEL had an audience with the President of the Republic, Patrice TALON on the morning of Friday April 26, 2024, at the Palais de la Marina. This tête-à-tête was followed by a working session extended to members of the two delegations, then by a statement to the press.
It was on this occasion, in front of the invited media professionals, that the President of the European Council announced that “ the European Union will release 47 million euros to “support the fight against terrorism in Benin “.
According to Charles Michel, this sum (47 million euros or more than 30 billion CFA francs) which will be mobilized during this year 2024, will be used in particular for the acquisition of drones or even data collection planes. intelligence, material and equipment intended for security and the fight against terrorism.
As a reminder, the Beninese border area with Burkina Faso has for several years been at the heart of attacks perpetrated by armed terrorist groups. It is the same with the border region of Benin with Niger. According to several sources, a total of around twenty cross-border incursions have been recorded since 2021.
This situation pushed Benin to launch, in January 2022, Operation “Mirador”, which consisted of deploying around 3,000 soldiers responsible for securing the country’s borders. In addition, a good part of the recruitment. A few months ago, he began recruiting 5,000 additional soldiers to strengthen security in the North.
Furthermore, it should be noted that it is since the terrorist groups operating in the Sahel, particularly in Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso, have faced significant responses from these countries, that they have sought to descend towards the south, including towards Benin, Togo, and Ghana.
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