The moment of decisive action arrived at the United Nations headquarters in New York when Benin’s voice rang out. Foreign Minister Corinne Amori Brunet delivered the country’s national statement on the final day of the general debate at the 81st session of the UN General Assembly. She stood alongside the permanent mission led by Ambassador Marc Hermanne Araba, Benin’s permanent representative to the intergovernmental body.
This address came at a closely watched moment in the speaking order, with Benin’s top diplomat taking the podium right after the delegations of Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger had spoken.
UN principles translated into concrete action on the ground
The speech carries major diplomatic weight as Benin concludes its term leading the African Union’s Peace and Security Council (PSC). Far from purely theoretical declarations of intent, the message delivered at the UN rests on a comprehensive security doctrine that Cotonou is actively deploying at both national and regional levels:
Operational response and state presence: Operation Mirador
Facing pressure from armed terrorist groups in the northern border zone, Benin has launched Operation Mirador. This preventive and defensive military arrangement aims to lock down the national parks (Pendjari and W) and secure rural communities. The Beninese army pairs this with a strengthened territorial network through the recruitment and massive training of new security personnel to fill operational gaps exploited by violent groups.
Regional cooperative network: The Accra Initiative
On the sub-regional diplomatic and military front, Benin remains one of the driving pillars of the Accra Initiative (alongside Ghana, Togo, Côte d’Ivoire, and the Sahel countries). This mechanism puts into practice on the ground the orientations defended at the UN podium:
- Tactical information sharing: Regular and direct exchanges between intelligence services to track cross-border movements.
- Joint operations: Conducting coordinated actions on both sides of borders to prevent armed groups from retreating from one territory to another.
Social prevention and development of border areas
For Cotonou, the security response cannot be exclusively military. Through the Beninese Agency for Integrated Management of Border Areas (ABeGIEF), the Beninese state invests directly in basic infrastructure in the north of the country (schools, water points, health centers, rural roads). The goal is to stem the feeling of abandonment, strengthen the resilience of marginalized communities, and cut extremist network recruitment at its root.
Community security and early warning
The Beninese government is betting on strengthening the army-nation bond. Thanks to the deployment of citizen alert mechanisms and dedicated hotlines, local populations are involved in the preventive intelligence chain. This inclusive approach aims to build a climate of mutual trust essential to counter the infiltration of clandestine networks.
In a tense sub-regional context, the advocacy carried to New York by the Beninese delegation sums up a clear doctrine: combining operational firmness at the borders, socio-economic investment in populations, and pragmatic multilateral cooperation with all neighboring partners.