Accusations of destabilizing Niger: Benin denounces a diversionary maneuver.
The Benin government has spoken out after accusations by General Abdourahamane Tiani, president of the National Council for the Safeguarding of the Homeland (CNSP), who attributes a presumed role in attempts to destabilize Niger to Benin.
Such remarks are brushed off by Cotonou with a wave of the hand, seeing them more as a diversionary strategy than a substantiated accusation.
Speaking on Peace FM, the government spokesperson, Wilfried Léandre Houngbédji, delivered a firm speech, mixing irony and assurance.
According to him, these verbal attacks stem less from an objective reality than from a classic reaction to a country that is moving forward.
When you are top of the class, you inevitably attract enemies, he said, before posing a series of rhetorical questions to support his point. Which African country is currently regularly cited for its economic and institutional performance? Which destination is attracting more and more investors and visitors in the subregion? His answer is straightforward: Benin.
For the government spokesperson, General Tiani’s statements fit into a distraction logic designed to divert attention from Niger’s internal difficulties and to prevent Benin from calmly pursuing its development trajectory.
“These are diversions that will not derail us from our priorities,” he said.
Wilfried Houngbédji went further, saying that these accusations lack credibility even among Niger’s own public opinion. According to him, even in Niger, few citizens give credence to these allegations, as they appear detached from the facts.
To illustrate the attitude Benin intends to adopt in response to these media outbursts, the spokesperson invoked a popular saying:
“If someone undresses to steal your blanket, don’t chase him in the same state, for you risk being mistaken for him.”.
A clear message: Benin rejects verbal escalation and remains focused on its goals of stability, growth and regional influence, leaving the responsibility for their statements to its accusers.
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