Geopolitics: in response to the jihadist challenge in the North, Brussels and Cotonou establish the “Development and Security” partnership.

Meeting behind closed doors at Berlaymont this Tuesday, European Union officials and Beninese authorities extensively discussed the situation in northern Benin. This region has become, in just a few years, one of the new frontlines in response to the rise of armed terrorist groups in West Africa.

​Northern Benin Facing Asymmetric Security Pressure

Since 2021, the Alibori and Atacora departments, bordering Burkina Faso and Niger, have been experiencing repeated incursions from armed groups affiliated with the Islamic State in the Sahel or Jnim (linked to Al-Qaeda). Ambushes and attacks on security posts keep the populations under pressure. The threat, once confined to the heart of the Sahel region, has crossed borders to settle at the doorsteps of the Gulf of Guinea countries.

In light of this concrete reality, the European Union is adjusting its approach. Rather than sticking to an exclusively military response, Brussels now favors a territorial development approach to stabilize the region.

​Education, Employment, and Access as Barriers Against Extremism

The European action plan centers around a major economic pillar aimed at strengthening the resilience of local communities. Convinced that sustainable security is built through access to economic opportunities, the European Union will intensify its investments in:

• ​Local infrastructure and access improvement,
• ​Sustainable access to basic services (water, health, education),
• ​Creating employment opportunities for youth in border areas.

This strategy explicitly incorporates a component for preventing violent extremism. The goal of this foundational work is to deprive jihadist recruiters of the fertile ground of frustration, precariousness, and institutional neglect they exploit to enroll new fighters.

​A Strategic Convergence of Views Between Cotonou and Brussels

This development-focused approach aligns with the doctrine advocated by Cotonou. While strengthening its military capabilities on the ground, the Beninese government has long been advocating for a rapid economic recovery of the most vulnerable northern areas.

In Brussels, the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, reaffirmed the Union’s commitment to maintaining and intensifying its financial and technical support for this dynamic.

The stakes go far beyond Benin’s borders. The entrenchment of armed groups in coastal countries would destabilize the entire Gulf of Guinea, with direct repercussions on trade routes, port infrastructures, and migration flows. By supporting northern Benin, the EU indirectly protects its own geopolitical interests on the southern flank of the continent.

​Operational Challenges of a Long-Term Endeavor

The main challenge of this strategy lies in the management of time: development requires time while the threat is progressing rapidly. For international donors, the challenge is to channel funding into partially insecure areas, coordinate local actors, and measure the real impact of prevention programs.

However, the political signal sent this week is crucial. By inextricably linking development and security, Brussels and Cotonou acknowledge a lesson learned from past failures in the Sahel: one does not win a war against terrorism sustainably with weapons alone if the military effort is not supported by a solid political and economic project for the populations.