Rwanda, Benin agree to military cooperation

The security agreement was signed on the first day of Rwandan President Paul Kagame’s two-day visit to the country.

Benin,Togo and Ivory Coast have suffered terrorist attacks since 2018 that spill over from Africa's Sahel region attributed to al-Qaeda affiliate, the Support Group for Islam and Muslims (JNIM).

Benin’s northern borders with Burkina Faso and Niger have particularly been affected.

“We are ready to work with Benin to prevent anything that may happen around its borders,” Kagame told a press conference with his counterpart president Patrice Talon in the capital Cotonou.

Kagame said Rwanda has built its capacity and there will be no limit to what “will be accomplished together for security challenges.”

 “What we need to do in Africa is to be together, to identify what we need in terms of partnerships and who offers what we need,” he said.

The press conference was preceded by a one-on-one meeting between Talon and Kagame in which the two discussed “the terrorist threat and its spread” as well as several areas of cooperation including security, according to Benin’s Foreign Ministry.

Noting that the deal is based on the Rwandan army’s experience, Talon said the cooperation could include “supervision, coaching, training, joint deployment.”

Rwandan troops are deployed in Mozambique, South Sudan and the Central African Republic to help restore peace.

President Kagame meanwhile Saturday interacted with 100 young entrepreneurs at Sèmè City, a flagship project by the Benin government dedicated to meeting the skills needs of young Africans through training, research, and innovation.