Rwandan military assistance to Benin: strategic cooperation in the fight against terrorism
Wilfried Houngbedji, the spokesperson for the Beninese government, officially confirmed on 9 September the upcoming signing of military cooperation with Rwanda. Revealed by the media Africa Intelligence on the same day, the discussion between the two governments started in the spring of 2022, following the visit of Aurélien Agbénonci, the head of Beninese diplomacy, to Rwanda in March. At the end of July, Benin’s Chief of the Defence Staff, Fructueux Gbaguidi, visited Kigali where he held bilateral talks aimed at deepening cooperation between the two countries.
The agreement, which is expected to be implemented during the month of October, will include logistical support and expertise from the Rwandan armed forces in the fight against jihadism, but does not include the deployment of troops on the ground. The number of Rwandan troops expected to be deployed is estimated at around 350, but could double in the future.
The military cooperation occurs as Benin and its neighbours seek to build up their military forces to address the growing threat of terrorism in West Africa. Since the end of 2021, jihadist groups in Niger and Burkina Faso have made inroads into northern Benin and carried out more than 20 terrorist attacks, mainly targeting security forces. At the beginning of December 2021, two Beninese soldiers were killed by terrorists in the town of Porga. Northern Benin experienced several terrorist attacks in the following months, including against the police stations of Monsey and Dassari.
Beninese President Patrice Talon’s decision to partner with Rwanda is part of a response strategy that aims to diversify Benin’s military alliances with states with experience in the fight against terrorism. Rwanda has developed expertise in the field of counter-terrorism and proven the professionalism of its army during its intervention in the Central African Republic and in Mozambique, where it deployed about a thousand soldiers in the north of the country to help the Mozambican government in its fight against jihadists. As such, the country appears as a strategic ally. However, the 35,000-strong army, trained since the 2000s to participate in external operations, has no experience in Benin or in the Sahel, which could limit the relevance of its expertise.
For Rwanda, the advantages of this agreement are threefold. It represents an opportunity to train its army and develop its expertise, especially in foreign environments. By actively employing the army, Paul Kagame also reduces the possibility of a military overthrow, in a country where the armed forces have had a historic role in governance, and where social demands are growing. Finally, sending troops abroad allows Rwanda to expand its influence on the continent and to appear more strongly as a key security actor that can be relied on. The country is the largest African contributor to UN peacekeeping missions in terms of military and police personnel. Kigali is also pushing for reforms to avoid a repeat of the dramatic failures of the UN troops during the Rwandan genocide from happening again. In particular, Rwanda is, alongside the Netherlands and the United States, at the origin of the Kigali Principles on the Protection of Civilians, which reform UN operations in terms of decision-making, accountability and resource allocation.
The upcoming months will bear witness to the effectiveness of Rwanda’s assistance to Benin in its fight against terrorism, potentially reinforcing Rwanda’s role as the continent’s key security actor.