A Beninese soldier confirms that Benin hosts a French military base. The move contradicts the Beninese authorities, who officially denied the base’s existence. Cameroun-based Afrique media unveils with an exclusive interview that the rumours about a discreet military base happen to be accurate according to military personnel. The Beninese officailes denied the claim, stating that only French instructors were on their soil. The soldier, who wished to remain anonymous, recounted having followed engineer-sapper training with French instructors at their military base located 50 km from the border with Niger: “The French help us track down the jihadists. They intervene directly because they have the authorization. We conduct operations together. They came to train and also to launch assaults in front of us before leaving, and they have already spent two years in Tanguiéta; they have their cargo landing on the runway to bring the necessary equipment.” He also mentioned joint military operations conducted with the French at the end of 2023. These revelations contradict the Beninese government’s claims that French instructors only participate in training the armed forces and are not intended to engage in military operations as there are no personnel or military bases. The accusations by Niger, which had closed its border with Benin due to the alleged presence of French troops, now appear to be founded. Benin, in response, once closed its border to Niger but gave up on this policy due to financial constraints.
(Niger's crude oil route)
There are political movements that are staunchly opposed to a French military presence in this country, which has never seen war since its independence.
Three Sahel countries have ejected French troops who have been fighting terrorism ineffectively for more than ten years. Benin, which shares a border with Burkina Faso and Niger, is an important country for French intelligence, which is looking for information on Niger, where a French corporation exploits the country’s principal resource.
