Bénin, a country in West Africa with 14 million people between Nigeria and Togo, stretches from the Gulf of Guinea 450 miles north to the Niger River. Its present government is closely allied to its former colonial overlord France; its main port, Cotonou, handles ample cargo coming from or going to Burkina Faso and Mali, two landlocked countries that have recently expelled French troops.

Bénin had troops and cops in Mali under French command until Mali told the French to get out in 2022. In July of that year French President Emmanuel Macron visited Bénin to reinforce French imperialism’s presence in Africa, according to a French official who spoke anonymously to Al Jazeera (July 24, 2022). Rwandan President Paul Kagame followed up Macron’s visit to strengthen military ties in April 2023, according to a Jan. 25, 2024, article in Le Monde.

The al-Qaida affiliate located in West Africa began operating in northern Bénin and Togo, which abuts Burkina Faso and Niger, in late 2024. Its attack on a major northern Bénin military base Jan. 8 lasted more than eight hours and left at least 30 Bénin soldiers dead. French troops in Bénin were unable to mobilize reinforcements for the base during this attack.

A wave of actions throughout the country broke out protesting this attack and the presence of French troops in Bénin.

The Collective of Students for the Defense of the Homeland, one of the groups organizing these protests, said that ever since the French troops “driven out of Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger” have stationed themselves in Benin, “our nation has been experiencing these terrorist attacks.” (peoplesdispatch.org, Feb. 5) The Trade Union Confederation of Benin Workers (CSTB), another group organizing these protests, said, “France’s military strategy is to set fire and then come presenting itself as the firefighter.” (Senenews.com, Jan. 14)

Scores of these protests have been documented on TikTok.