As the school year begins in Benin on September 14 2026, the country’s Council of Ministers has adopted emergency measures for nursery and primary schools in areas affected by terrorist threats and armed incursions.
Schools in at least 10 municipalities in northern Benin, including Matéri, Karimama, and Malanville, were closed for the start of the school year pending relocation to safer areas. Government spokesperson Wilfried Léandre Houngbédji stated the closures and relocations were taken specifically to protect children from attacks by armed groups from neighboring countries. The government has not disclosed the exact number or locations of the affected schools, citing security considerations. The emergency plan provides psychosocial, material, and food assistance to displaced pupils, aiming to address the additional vulnerabilities created by forced relocation.
Benin has faced terrorist incursions for several years, particularly in northern areas, where armed groups operate across borders in the Sahel. The main threat comes from jihadist armed groups, particularly Al-Qaeda-affiliated Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) and Islamic State-affiliated Islamic State Sahel Province (ISSP). Both groups maintain strongholds and networks in neighboring Burkina Faso and Niger. The W-Arly-Pendjari complex, a transboundary natural park and UNESCO World Heritage Site, provides armed groups with terrain, including classified forests, in which they can retreat and operate.
Terrorist threats and resulting forced population displacement are disrupting children’s education, increasing risks of permanent school dropout, early labour, forced marriage, exploitation, and recruitment by armed groups. These displacements also put additional pressure on schools in safer host communities.
By February 2025, more than 43,000 forcibly displaced people were living in northern Benin, including refugees and internally displaced persons, while more than 61,000 people were internally displaced in northern Togo, further straining local educational infrastructure.