Twelve farmers from northern Benin are on trial after being accused of supplying fuel to armed groups operating near the country’s frontier with Burkina Faso and Niger, a development that highlights growing insecurity in the region.
The men were arrested in early April in Banikoara, a rural commune in the Alibori Department, after local authorities intercepted them transporting jerrycans of fuel by motorcycle. According to the prosecution, each suspect carried between 10 and 15 litres of fuel allegedly destined for militant groups destabilising the northern border zone.
All twelve defendants deny any link to insurgent networks. However, prosecutors argue that their actions—regardless of intent—provided material support to armed elements active in the area, where violence linked to cross-border militant activity has intensified over the past two years.
“Fuel is not a neutral commodity in this context,” a court official said during the preliminary hearings. “It powers motorcycles, generators, and logistics used in attacks.”
The suspects, all identified as local farmers, claim the fuel was intended for agricultural or domestic use, not for resale or supply to violent groups. Rights advocates have warned against criminalising isolated communities already bearing the brunt of regional instability.
The case, currently being heard in a Cotonou court, has been adjourned until June 23 for final arguments.
Benin, once viewed as a stable corridor in West Africa, has experienced a rise in militant incursions along its northern frontier, prompting increased military operations and surveillance in border regions.