Benin Denies Traoré’s Accusations Of Destabilisating Burkina Faso

Emmanuel EjioforJuly 12, 20241 Mins read188

Burkina Faso's junta ruler, Captain Ibrahim Traoré (L), and Benin's president, Patrice Talon (R)

Benin has responded to accusations made by Burkina Faso’s junta leader, Captain Ibrahim Traoré, that Benin and the Republic of Côte d’Ivoire are attempting to destabilise Burkina Faso.

In a Facebook post, the spokesperson for the Beninese government, Wilfried Léandre Houngbedji, labelled Traoré’s claims as a disinformation campaign threatening the peaceful coexistence among African nations.

“The terrorist attacks recorded by Benin to date, the vast majority of which have been foiled by our Defence and Security Forces, are the work of people coming from across our borders with Burkina Faso and Niger,” Houngbedji posted on Thursday.

“This is also what led the Government of Benin, in its strategy to counter the phenomenon, to build, starting in 2022, small military camps called advanced operational bases in several of our border municipalities.

“We have not hidden this since the President of the Republic spoke about it before the National Assembly on December 8, 2022,” the Beninese government spokesperson wrote.

Burkinabé junta leader, Captain Traoré, claimed there were two French military bases in Benin, saying that he had evidence for his claims.

However, Houngbedji criticised Captain Traoré for trying to blame Benin for Burkina Faso’s problems.

“Here our brothers and neighbours, for reasons of domestic policy, are trying to make us the source of their problems, Houngbedji stated. “This is a pernicious tendency coming from military personnel who know these camps and their vocation.

“So, after Niger, it is Burkina Faso’s turn to sound this nauseating trumpet of disinformation which fuels not patriotism, but rather the resentment of the populations and ultimately threatens the peaceful coexistence of peoples.”

“One thing is certain: populism has only one virtue: it shifts problems while pretending to solve them. Sooner or later, the populations will realise that they have been abused,” he concluded.