Benin is pressing ahead with a deliberate strategy to widen its military partnerships as security threats in the sub-region evolve. The latest example is the opening of talks with Algeria on training and operational capacity building for the Benin Armed Forces.
A high-level meeting in Cotonou
On September 24, 2026, the Minister Delegate to the President of the Republic in charge of National Defense, Gildas Agonkan, received Algeria’s Ambassador to Benin, Ammar Hadjar, in Cotonou. At the center of the discussions: strengthening bilateral cooperation in defense and security.
Algeria has expressed its willingness to share operational experience with Benin’s forces, particularly through troop training and capacity development. The offer comes in a regional context where armies face asymmetric threats and shifting operating methods by armed groups.
But the most telling element may lie on Cotonou’s side. Rather than relying on a single partner, Benin is pursuing a policy of diversifying its military cooperation, seeking complementary experience and skills.
What Algeria brings to the table
The value of this cooperation lies in the experience the Algerian army has accumulated in fighting armed groups. Algeria’s Ministry of Defense continues to highlight its capabilities and its counter-terrorism track record.
For Cotonou, the goal is therefore not simply to obtain equipment. It is also about strengthening skills, training, operational readiness, and interoperability of its forces.
Minister Gildas Agonkan expressed the wish to draw more from Algerian experience and called for framework agreements covering different aspects of national defense. The stated objective is to build lasting cooperation and strengthen the operational capabilities of Benin’s forces.
A deliberate diversification strategy
This opening toward Algiers is not an isolated act. It is part of a broader dynamic Benin has engaged with several partners.
In recent months, Cotonou has multiplied defense exchanges with various countries, including the United States, the United Arab Emirates, Germany, and the Netherlands. Benin’s Ministry of Defense itself reports a policy of military cooperation with several states and agreements that allow Beninese soldiers to benefit from training and development courses abroad.
The logic is clear: multiply cooperation channels to have a wider range of expertise, training, and capabilities.
This approach also allows Benin to seek partnerships suited to its own security realities, particularly in the north of the country, where forces face the threat of armed groups active in the Sahel region.
Benin’s priority: strengthening its own capabilities
Military cooperation does not mean transferring responsibility. The principle remains one of strengthening national capacities.
Benin already has its own training and development structures. In July 2026, the National Higher School of Armed Forces (ENSA) recorded a 96.15% success rate for its 22nd class of the preparatory course for the staff diploma, with auditors from seven countries. The ministry presents this school as a tool for training and resilience of the forces.
Opening up to foreign expertise therefore complements this effort rather than replacing it.
The approach initiated with Algiers could allow Beninese soldiers to compare their methods with other experiences, acquire new skills, and strengthen their ability to respond to rapidly evolving threats.
Cotonou keeps control of its security cooperation
No date has yet been announced for signing a framework agreement between the two countries. Discussions are therefore expected to continue before any formalization of new commitments.
But the political and strategic signal is already visible: Benin is not closing any doors on security cooperation.
From Washington to Abu Dhabi, from Berlin to Algiers, and through other partners, Cotonou is seeking to multiply sources of expertise and training.
In a regional environment marked by the progression of asymmetric threats, this diversification is above all a way for Benin to gradually consolidate its own defense capabilities, combining its national experience with that of partners possessing different skills.
The Algerian offer thus arrives in an already shifting landscape. It adds a new piece to a security architecture Benin is trying to build around a simple principle: strengthen its forces, diversify its partners, and retain control of its defense choices.
