An armored vehicle is stationed at the entrance of a blocked road near the national television, Benin TV, in Cotonou (Benin), on December 8, 2025. OLYMPIA DE MAISMONT / AFP
The meeting was intended to showcase the strength of military cooperation between France, Benin, and Côte d'Ivoire. On March 19, General Fabien Mandon, chief of France's General Staff, met his Beninese and Ivorian counterparts in Cotonou, Benin. "France will remain alongside Benin to help train its soldiers, improve techniques, and share expertise (...). When a partner needs support, it is important for us to provide our assistance," he told a local radio station after the meeting.
Officially, Paris provides occasional training to the Beninese armed forces to help them counter jihadist incursions in the north of the country, which borders Burkina Faso and Niger. In recent months, French soldiers have been present in Parakou and Kandi, two northern cities in Benin.
Among them are members of the French special forces, who train their Beninese counterparts, a unit formerly led by Lieutenant-Colonel Pascal Tigri, the leader of the mutineers who unsuccessfully attempted a coup on December 7, 2025, in Cotonou.
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