Conspiracy accusations against Niger: response from Benin’s Chief of Staff
In response to persistent accusations alleging a supposed plot hatched by Benin with France to destabilize its neighbors, notably Niger, the Chief of the General Staff of the Benin Armed Forces, General Fructueux Gbaguidi, sought to clear up any ambiguity.
Speaking on Bip Radio, the head of the Benin army firmly rejected suspicions of military or strategic collusion with a foreign power aimed at destabilizing a neighboring country.
“We are thinking of our country, our security, our stability. To no one else,” he declared, warning against conspiratorial readings which, in his view, blur the understanding of the real security challenges in the subregion.
General Gbaguidi recalled that the actions of the Benin Armed Forces are exclusively within a framework of national defense and legal regional cooperation. For him, Benin cannot be instrumentalized in destabilization strategies that would not serve its interests or those of its neighbors.
Adopting a measured tone, the Chief of Staff sought to defuse the controversy without entering into a logic of verbal escalation. The message is clear: Benin asserts a posture of responsibility, focused on protecting its territory and regional stability, far from narratives of geopolitical confrontation.
This Thursday, the Chief of Staff of the Benin Army will receive the French and Ivorian Chiefs of Staff as part of security cooperation.
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