Escalating Repression in Benin: A Nation at the Crossroads of Human Rights Violations

By Adonis Byemelwa

Benin, once celebrated as a model of democracy in West Africa, now stands at the heart of a devastating human rights crisis. Under President Patrice Talon’s regime, the nation has plunged into a disturbing era of political repression, silencing of the press, and violent crackdowns on opposition voices.

Today, October 6, 2024, the highly anticipated report, Political Assassinations in Benin (2019-2021), will be launched. This report, titled The Collapse of Democracy and Human Rights Violations in Benin, exposes the brutal reality of Talon’s reign. Ambassador Omar Arouna, who authored the report's introduction and preface, highlights the dire consequences of unchecked power and the erosion of democratic values in Benin. This document is not just a report, but a call to action.

 As the government seeks to consolidate power, citizens face an increasingly militarized state apparatus that is willing to resort to violence and intimidation to silence dissent.

Investigative journalist Marcel Zoumenou, renowned for his fearless reporting, has brought to light a series of shocking abuses committed by security forces under the Talon regime. Traveling through some of the country’s worst-affected areas—Cotonou, Bantè, Savè, Ouèssè, Tchaourou, Parakou, and Kandi—Zoumenou gathered harrowing testimonies from survivors, witnesses, and families of victims. His report paints a grim picture of a government that systematically uses force to suppress opposition, leading to extrajudicial killings, arbitrary arrests, enforced disappearances, and rampant torture.

“These stories need to be told. People are being killed, their families left in anguish, and there’s barely any accountability,” says Zoumenou, who faced significant personal risk to bring this information to light. His findings, backed by support from human rights organizations, have exposed the full extent of the state’s violence, which many fear is just the tip of the iceberg.

The roots of the current crisis can be traced back to the controversial 2019 legislative elections. These elections, widely criticized for excluding opposition parties, were seen as the beginning of Benin's slide into authoritarianism.

 What followed was an unprecedented wave of protests across the country. Peaceful demonstrations, led by frustrated citizens demanding greater political inclusivity and transparency, were met with disproportionate force. In cities like Cotonou and Savè, live ammunition was used to disperse crowds, leading to numerous deaths.

One of the most striking examples of state violence occurred in Cotonou on May 1, 2019, when security forces fired on a crowd gathered near the home of former President Boni Yayi. In the chaos, Prudence Amoussou, a mother searching for her daughter, was shot in the back and killed. Her body was withheld from her family for weeks, a tactic that highlights the cruel lengths to which authorities are willing to go to instill fear and suppress dissent.

“There is no greater agony than the silence that follows a state killing. My sister was murdered by those who are supposed to protect us, and we had to fight just to get her body back,” said a relative of Amoussou, who spoke on condition of anonymity, fearing reprisals from the government.

Elsewhere in Benin, similar stories of terror unfold. In Savè, Souradjou Olokou was shot by soldiers during a demonstration, and his body was taken away by the military. His family, left without closure, has been living in anguish ever since. “We just want to bury our son,” said Olokou’s father. “But even that, they’ve denied us.”

Perhaps even more chilling than the state-sponsored killings is the deliberate disappearance of bodies. Reports of enforced disappearances—where soldiers remove the corpses of those they’ve killed—are increasingly common.

These disappearances serve a dual purpose: erasing evidence of state violence and sowing fear in communities. In this environment of terror, citizens are left to wonder if their loved ones will ever return, or if they too will be swallowed up by the regime’s violence.

Benin’s democratic institutions, once a source of pride, have been severely undermined under Talon’s leadership. His regime has been quick to dismiss criticism, claiming that its heavy-handed tactics are necessary to maintain public order.

But international human rights organizations, including Amnesty International and the U.S. State Department, have condemned the government's actions, noting that the repression goes far beyond maintaining order.

“This is not about public safety; it’s about silencing opposition and eliminating any threat to the regime’s grip on power,” said a spokesperson for Amnesty International.

Talon’s political maneuvers have also drawn significant criticism. In 2019, the president amended the country’s constitution, a move that allowed him to tighten his control over the political landscape.

These changes excluded key opposition candidates from running in the 2021 presidential elections, ensuring that Talon’s path to re-election would be uncontested.

 The constitutional amendments, combined with the arrest of prominent opposition figures such as Reckya Madougou and Joël Aïvo on dubious charges of terrorism and conspiracy, have cemented Talon’s authoritarian hold on the country.

“The message is clear,” says a political analyst in Cotonou. “If you oppose Talon, you either end up in prison, in exile, or a grave.”

The crackdown has not been limited to political figures. The press, once a vital part of Benin’s democratic fabric, has also been targeted. Independent media outlets that dared to criticize the regime have been shut down, and journalists have been arrested or forced into hiding.

 In 2020, the closure of La Nouvelle Tribune, a newspaper that had been critical of the government, sent a chilling message to the country’s remaining journalists: dissent will not be tolerated.

As Benin’s democracy erodes, so too does the safety and well-being of its citizens. Ordinary people, caught in the crossfire of state violence, are bearing the brunt of the government’s brutal tactics. In Parakou, for example, Lassissi Babatoundé, a young student, was shot by soldiers while washing cars at a makeshift carwash.

The soldiers, pursuing a group of demonstrators, ordered everyone to lie down. When Lassissi got up to turn off a water tap that was flooding the area, a soldier fired a bullet into his leg, causing severe injuries. Despite receiving medical attention, Lassissi’s leg was permanently damaged, altering the course of his life.

“These soldiers see us as enemies,” says Worou Lawani Mohamed, Lassissi’s uncle. “They don’t care if you’re a protester or just someone trying to go about your day. To them, everyone is a threat.”

As the Talon regime continues its campaign of repression, calls for international intervention are growing louder. Human rights advocates are urging the international community to take action, with many pointing to the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act as a potential tool for holding Talon and his collaborators accountable. Sanctions, they argue, could send a powerful message that the global community will not tolerate human rights abuses and corruption.

“Patrice Talon has crossed every line imaginable,” says Ambassador Omar Arouna, a member of the Advisory Board for the Advocacy Foundation for Human Rights. “If the world remains silent, more innocent lives will be lost, and Benin’s democracy will be nothing more than a memory.”

The situation in Benin is dire, and the stakes have never been higher. With each passing day, the country drifts further from its democratic roots, and its citizens are left wondering if justice will ever be served. For families like those of Prudence Amoussou and Souradjou Olokou, the fight for accountability is far from over. And for Benin as a whole, the battle for its future has only just begun.