Benin
For many years, Benin has experienced violent incidents, organised crime, road blockages and the illegal exploitation of the sea. Instability and emerging security threats, such as terrorism and religious radicalism, have increased since the change of government in 2016.1 In response to this situation, the authorities in Benin have implemented weapon seizure programmes aiming to reduce the number of illicit firearms in circulation. Benin has signed and ratified the Arms Trade Treaty and the UN Firearms Protocol.2 The country is also a member of the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF), which became operational in 2015 and supports the Nigerian government in the fight against Boko Haram.3
A project on the disposal of surplus ammunition and training is currently being implemented in Benin. In 2022, a national weapons and ammunition management baseline assessment was conducted in cooperation with the UN Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR).4
1 DCAF – Geneva Centre for Security Sector Governance, Case Study: The Creation of a Republican Police in Benin (Geneva: DCAF, 2020), https://issat.dcaf.ch/download/151674/3141528/Fusion%20Police-Gendarmerie%20-%20ENGLISH.pdf.
2 Philip Alpers and Michael Picard, Benin – Gun Facts, Figures and the Law (GunPolicy.org, Sydney School of Public Health, University of Sydney, 2022), https://www.gunpolicy.org/firearms/region/benin.
3 "Benin,” Rule of Law in Armed Conflicts Project (RULAC), Geneva Academy of International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights, updated June 3, 2019, https://www.rulac.org/browse/countries/benin#collapse1accord.
4 “Ammunition Management Activity Platform (A-MAP),” GICHD, 2022, https://a-map.gichd.org.“
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Further information
Accidental explosions
Since the Small Arms Survey began collecting data in 1979, no accidental explosions have been reported in Benin.
Source: “Unplanned Explosions at Munitions Sites (UEMS) Database,” Small Arms Survey, updated December 15, 2021, https://smallarmssurvey.org/database/unplanned-explosions-munitions-sites-uems.
Cases of diversion
Insufficient information on cases of diversion in Benin.
Disposal
Insufficient information on the disposal of ammunition in Benin.
Needs
To further enhance safe and secure ammunition management, the following needs have been identified for Benin:
- Technical and financial assistance for the construction of modern and secure arms stores; and
- Capacity development for the destruction of surplus stockpiles, particularly the acquisition of weapons cutting and destruction machines, and the training of personnel.
Source: Benin, National Report on the Implementation of the Programme of Action on Small Arms and Light Weapons (PoA) and the International Tracing Instrument (ITI) (New York: Permanent Mission of Benin to the UN, 2022), https://unoda-poa.s3.amazonaws.com/reports/BEN-French-1228-SUBMITTED.pdf.
