Source : Sahel weather February 2025

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He has clearly stated that he will not be a candidate in the next presidential elections. But long before that, after many criticisms and complaints about the integrity of the electoral system, President Patrice Talon had already shown an openness, by accepting the audit of the Computerized Electoral List (LEI) advocated by the opposition, with a view to the 2026 presidential election. On February 24members of the audit steering committee met with the Head of State, Talon, to discuss the modalities of the audit, its timetable and the guarantees of independence of the experts hired. A few days earlier, the Council of Ministers meeting on February 19 had approved the disbursement of 159.4 million FCFA to support this procedure. Talon was firm, however, when he spoke to the five civil society experts appointed to conduct the audit. "It's a question of identifying shortcomings, whether or not they are attributable to our current model, in order to envisage progressive improvements", he said. You're not on a mission for the opposition, you're on a mission for the Republic".

As far as the Head of State was concerned, this audit was intended to be of a corrective nature and would not call into question the timetable for the electoral process. Moreover, revision of the electoral code is not on the agenda. "I don't want to hear that until it's perfect, there won't be any more elections in Benin", he insisted. Proof of the high stakes involved, the Economic Community of West African States (Ecowas), the Autonomous National Electoral Commission (Céna) and the Economic Commission of West African States (Ecowas) held a meeting to discuss the 2026 general electionson February 26 . The opposition has three main demands in this regard. In addition to the audit of the electoral file to guarantee the transparency of the electoral process, it is calling for the revision of the electoral code, deemed to be exclusive, and the inclusion of opposition representatives in electoral bodies, notably the Cena and the Constitutional Court.

Talks for 2026?

Earlier this month, former President Boni Yayi visited two of Benin's leading political figures: Nicéphore Soglo, former President of the Republic, and Adrien Houngbédji, former President of the National Assembly. Officially, the President of the opposition party Les Démocrates (LD) presented New Year's greetings to the two men. However, some members of the public believe this to be a possible sign of negotiations with a view to 2026. Moreover, after Houngbédji's criticism of Talon's governance. In principle, his Parti du renouveau démocratique (PRD), which he founded in 1990, has merged with one of the presidential parties, the Union Progressiste du Renouveau (UPR). Is this the beginning of a discordance of votes in the presidential camp? In any case, at a gathering of PRD militants in Porto-Novo to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the death of El Hadj Moucharafou Gbadamassi, the party's former vice-president, Me Houngbédji made a remark that was enigmatic, to say the least. "Pray for me, because the enemy is not happy. If you pray for me, his plan won't work", he declared.

Yayi Boni also continued his New Year's greetings tour. On February 11, the former president paid a visit to Bruno Amoussou, ex-president of the National Assembly and former minister under Mathieu Kérékou. Nothing substantial came out of these exchanges on the country's political situation. The Les Démocrates party has announced that the nomination process for the 2026 presidential election has been launched.

Between security challenges and diplomatic openness

In the north of the country, jihadist attacks are becoming more regular than ever. After the bloody attack of January 8, a new attack on February 15, 2025 in Banikoarawas recorded . According to military sources, the provisional toll was six soldiers missing and 17 assailants neutralized. In the wake of this latest setback, Major General Fructueux Gbaguidi, Chief of General Staff of the Benin Armed Forces (FAB), visited Camp Séro-Kpéra in Parakou, on February 18., the strategic heart of Operation Mirador He led a working session with military officials, in the presence of the Chief of Staff of the National Guard and the Head of the Operations and Employment Division. Discussions at the meeting focused on re-evaluating and optimizing defense strategies, enhancing the effectiveness of Operation Mirador, and stepping up the pressure on attackers.

On the other hand, Benin has been given a new lease of diplomatic life. Six new ambassadors have been appointed to India, China, Morocco, the United States, Kuwait and Qatar. These appointments are part of the country's drive to strengthen its bilateral relations on the international stage. However, there is a downside to the recall of the ambassador to Niger for remarks considered to run counter to the official positions of the authorities. At a ceremony held ^on February 1 in Gaya (southern Niger), Gildas Agonkan declared: "On behalf of all Beninese, on behalf of the Beninese authorities, I would like to ask forgiveness from the people of Niger, because we are brothers. Serious things have happened that have caused problems here in Niger, here in Gaya."