Government spokesperson has reiterated the perennial question of whether there is a French military base in Benin. In a recent media statement, Wilfried Léandre Houngbédji firmly denied it.
“There is no French military base in Benin. None!” declared the government spokesperson. According to Wilfried Léandre Houngbédji, there is currently “no military agreement” between Benin and France establishing a French military base in Benin. “I am categorical,” he emphasized.
However, the government spokesperson did not deny the presence of foreign instructors in Benin, including French ones. “In Kandi, we have French, Belgian, and American instructors who come to enhance the capabilities of our own,” he explained.
The controversy over the alleged presence of a military base in Benin has been ongoing since Benin began facing terrorist attacks. Recently, the controversy escalated in the context of the preparation of an ECOWAS military intervention to restore constitutional order in Niger.
The Nigerien junta openly accused Benin of planning a “military aggression” against Niger in collaboration with France. They went further to specify that “armored vehicles are stationed in Malanville” and that a French military ship had reportedly docked in Cotonou with military personnel and equipment on board.
