The International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the Government of Benin organized a crisis simulation exercise, named TABLEX, on July 5, 2023, in Parakou. This exercise brought together administrative and security authorities from five Beninese departments and aimed to prepare local authorities to respond to sudden border crises accompanied by massive population displacement.
This event takes place in the context of increasing attacks and rising violent extremism in the central Sahel region, spreading towards the Gulf of Guinea countries, including Benin. These situations exacerbate the vulnerability of border communities already facing multidimensional challenges, making it urgent to strengthen crisis management capacities.
TABLEX is a crisis management preparedness activity. It provides participants with a fictional crisis scenario to simulate. During this session in Parakou, participants developed a crisis management plan in response to the proposed scenario. A plenary presentation then identified the strengths and weaknesses of the plan and drew lessons to address potential real crises.
The exercise covered security, humanitarian, and health aspects of crisis management. It also promoted intra-service and interservice coordination in crisis situations among involved entities, including the Prefecture, Municipality, Police, Customs, Forestry, Firefighters, Social Services, Health, and international actors.
This exercise is part of the “Engaging Border Communities in Security and Border Management: From Senegal to Benin” program. The program is funded by the U.S. Department of State and implemented in Benin by IOM. Its objective is to strengthen trust between authorities and communities to promote security co-production.
