Published: September 19, 2025
This report is intended to supplement the U.S. Department of State Benin Travel Advisory and Benin Country Information Page.
Embassy & Consulate Contact Information
U.S. Embassy Cotonou:
Blvd de la Marina, 01 BP 2012, Cotonou.
Tel: +229 21 36 75 00; After-hours emergency: +229 97 97 47 28. Hours: Monday-Thursday, 0800-1700; Friday 0800-1330
OSAC Country Chapter(s)
The Cotonou Country Chapter meets quarterly. Contact OSAC’s Africa team with any questions.
Benin Travel Advisory
The current U.S. Department of State Travel Advisory at the date of this report’s publication assesses that travelers should exercise increased caution in Benin due to crime, terrorism, and kidnapping. Do not travel to the following areas of Benin due to crime, terrorism, and kidnapping:
- The city of Kandi and all areas north and east extending to Benin’s borders with Burkina Faso, Niger, and Nigeria.
- The city of Tanguieta and all areas north and west extending to Benin’s borders with Burkina Faso and Togo.
- The Pendjari and W National Parks
- The Pendjari, Atacora, and Djona Hunting Zones
- Route Nationale Inter-Etats 7 (RNIE 7) between Banikora and Segbana
- Route Nationale 10 (RN 10) between Nikki and Segbana
Crime
The U.S. Department of State has assessed Cotonou as being a CRITICAL-threat location for crime directed at or affecting official U.S. government interests.
The U.S. Department of State has included a Crime “C” Indicator on the Travel Advisory for Benin, indicating that there may be widespread violent crime and/or organized crime present in the country, and/or that local law enforcement may have limited ability to respond to serious crimes.
A broad spectrum of criminal activity occurs in Cotonou. Most crimes affecting U.S. travelers are crimes of opportunity (e.g., pickpocketing, purse snatching, theft of valuables from vehicles, assault, residential burglary).
Criminals use pistols, knives, and machetes during the commission of armed robberies. Most armed robberies occur late at night or in the early morning and end without violence if the victim does not resist. Locals report that the streets are not safe until around 06:30 a.m. Robberies are generally crimes of opportunity, with the perpetrators targeting vulnerable victims seeking cash/valuables. The typical modus operandi consists of two to four perpetrators traveling on motorcycles/scooters and targeting victims walking alone in poorly illuminated areas. One or two perpetrators usually jump off the motorcycle with a knife/machete and rob the victim. Robbery victims should comply with the demands of perpetrators, as resistance may cause the situation to escalate violently.
Sexual assaults do occur and are usually associated with alcohol. Some victims have reported that perpetrators used date-rape drugs to assault them.
There have been reported carjackings, motorcycle thefts, and robberies on roads after dark, some of which resulted in murder when the driver refused to comply with assailant demands. Carjacking and motorcycle thefts are more prevalent in rural areas, and many cases involve armed bandits placing barricades in the roadway to slow or halt vehicles. This tactic occurs frequently at the end of the rainy season, when vegetation provides good concealment (typically March – July). In 2019, armed assailants stopped a motorcade belonging to an expatriate NGO on the road between Cotonou and Parakou. The assailants fired on the vehicles to ensure compliance. The assailants took the occupants out of the vehicles, stripped them of all their belongings, and left them by the side of the road as the assailants fled in the NGO vehicles.
In 2021, Beninese Intelligence Services uncovered a kidnapping threat targeting American missionaries at the Boiffo clinic near Guene, Alibori Department. Intelligence suggested that a terrorist group near W National Park intended to abduct the missionaries. The missionaries reported two suspicious individuals visiting the clinic and inquiring about its activities. In response, police secured the area, and the Ministry of Interior ordered the missionaries' evacuation to Parakou, banning them from residing in the Kandi area for at least two years.
Far more common, and primarily affecting the local population, are motojackings. Using similar tactics as carjackers or moto-riding bandits, criminals will surround a moto rider and threaten them with a weapon as they forcibly take their moto.
Residential burglaries are also common in Cotonou, and throughout Benin. Significant investment in residential security measures (e.g., perimeter walls, concertina wire, window/door grilles, alarms), including 24-hour contract guards mitigate the dangers of burglaries and force criminals to look for less secure targets.
Robberies and muggings have occurred along the Boulevard de la Marina (the main thoroughfare in front of the U.S. Embassy), on the beaches near hotels frequented by foreigners, in the Haie Vive and Les Cocotiers neighborhoods (near popular bars and restaurants), and elsewhere throughout the city. Most reported incidents involve the threats or use of force by armed persons, with injuries rarely occurring when victims comply with aggressor demands.
Low-level criminal activity occurs in areas of congregation, particularly in the Dantokpa Market and on Cotonou’s beaches. Theives take advantage of foreigners attempting to navigate the crowded markets or leaving their belongings unattended. Travelers should avoid the Dantokpa market between dusk and dawn, and the beaches fronting Cotonou’s city center at all hours.
Kidnapping Threat
The U.S. Department of State has included a Kidnapping “K” Indicator on the Travel Advisory for Benin, indicating that criminal or terrorist individuals or groups have threatened to and/or have seized or detained and threatened to kill, injure, or continue to detain individuals to compel a third party (including a governmental organization) to do or abstain from doing something as a condition of release.
Kidnapping for ransom has long been a major fundraising activity for Sahel-based international violent extremist organizations. In 2019, Benin recorded its first kidnapping of westerners, when kidnappers took two French citizens from northern Benin and killed their guide. Once in custody, kidnappers immediately moved them to unknown locations outside of Benin. Media reported that violent extremist organizations were responsible for the kidnapping. The event occurred in Park Pendjari, Benin’s most heavily guarded national park. A French military intervention rescued the kidnap victims several days later. Kidnappings by terrorist groups have become common in northern Benin since 2021, largely impacting local leaders and community members. In late 2025, there has been an increase in kidnappings in the areas of Kalale and Nikki near the Nigerian border.
Terrorism
The U.S. Department of State has assessed Benin as being a MEDIUM-threat location for terrorism directed at or affecting official U.S. government interests.
The U.S. Department of State has included a Terrorism “T” Indicator on the Travel Advisory for Benin, indicating that terrorist attacks have occurred and/or specific threats against civilians, groups, or other targets may exist.
There is an increasing risk of incidents from terrorist groups operating across Benin’s northern borders with Burkina Faso and Niger. The U.S. government has limited ability to provide emergency services to U.S. citizens in Benin’s northern border area. Due to growing threats of terrorism in that area and increasing incidents of violent extremist attacks and activity, U.S. government employees are prohibited from personal travel and must obtain special authorization for official travel to northern Benin.
There are no known indigenous terrorist organizations in Benin. Due to porous borders and northern Benin’s proximity to terrorist strongholds in eastern Burkina Faso and southwestern Niger, many suspect that terrorists could be entering Benin to safe haven, fundraise, ship supplies, or plot attacks.
The security situation in eastern Burkina Faso on the northern side of the border with Benin has deteriorated significantly for several years and has impacted security in northern Benin. Terrorist groups have used improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and complex attacks with combined arms attacks to target Beninese law enforcement and security personnel. Terrorist actors, including Jama'at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) and the ISIS in the Greater Sahara (ISGS), have also turned their attention to local populations and community leaders.
Robberies, kidnapping, carjacking, and murder of ordinary citizens in northern Benin has increased, as have instances of violent extremists coming into villages and demanding populations abide by fundamentalist ideologies. Incidents have not spared expatriates either; attacks, kidnapping attempts, and murder targeting U.S., Canadian, and Czech nationals occurred in 2018 and 2019 in eastern Burkina Faso. Many of these attacks occurred within just a few kilometers of the Benin border.
In December 2021, suspected terrorists attacked a border outpost near Porga, Atakora Department, Benin, killing two Beninese soldiers in the first recorded JNIM attack in Benin. The attackers likely came from across the border from Burkina Faso. Since then, northern Benin has experienced dozens of terrorist attacks attributed to JNIM or ISGS largely concentrated near Park Pendjari, Park W, and adjacent hunting zones. Terrorists commonly target military and police forces and have also attacked or kidnapped community officials and ordinary community members. In April 2024, JNIM claimed an attack on a border checkpoint in Malanville, northern Benin. Three unidentified gunmen attacked the border crossing station, killing two civilians and one soldier in addition to wounding a second soldier. In July 2024, seven members of Beninese security forces and five rangers working with a conservation nonprofit were killed in an attack by an armed group in Benin’s National Park W.
In January, JNIM fighters attacked a military base in Benin’s Point Triple area near the Burkina Faso–Niger border, killing at least 28 soldiers. In April, at least 54 soldiers were killed in an attack by JNIM during a raid on the same park in the deadliest insurgent attack of the last decade.
In 2025, northern Benin has seen a sharp escalation in the frequency and lethality of jihadist violence compared to previous years. This surge in violence has displaced thousands of civilians and created widespread instability. Militant groups like JNIM are expanding their influence into remote border zones and protected national parks where government presence is sparse. In response, the Beninese government has stepped up military deployments and sought regional cooperation, but its efforts are hindered by limited resources and coordination challenges.
Political Violence and Civil Unrest
The U.S. Department of State has assessed Cotonou as being a LOW-threat location for political violence directed at or affecting official U.S. government interests.
The U.S. Department of State has not included a Civil Unrest “U” Indicator on the Travel Advisory for Benin. Civil unrest can develop quickly without prior notice, often interrupting logistics and services. Avoid demonstration activity, as even those planned to remain peaceful have the potential to turn violent.
Elections/Political Stability
Benin is a constitutional presidential republic. In April 2021, voters elected Patrice Talon in a multiparty election to a second five-year term as president. That election prompted anti-Talon demonstrations across the country, some of which turned violent, due to Talon’s 2016 promise not to seek a second term. Violence and/or demonstrations prevented delivery of voting materials in 16 of 546 electoral districts. at least five civilians were reported killed and 21 police officers and military service members injured during election-related clashed. Revisions to the electoral code and the law governing political parties prior to the 2019 legislative elections resulted in the ineligibility of all opposition parties, though a court ruling before the 2023 legislative elections allowed the main opposition party to participate. That election resulted in pro-Talon parties winning 81 out of 109 seats in the National Assembly. The main opposition party won the remaining 28 seats.
International observers assessed the 2021 presidential and 2023 legislative elections as generally transparent but expressed concern about the lack of inclusivity and competition among candidates. Turnout in Benin’s elections is generally low, with an estimated 50% of registered voters participating in the 2021 presidential election and approximately 38% of registered voters participating in the 2023 legislative elections, according to the National Electoral Commission. The next legislative elections are scheduled for January 2026 and the presidential election is scheduled for March/April 2026.
Protests & Demonstrations
In a few locations outside of Cotonou, protests during and after the 2021 presidential election were contentious and turned violent. On several occasions, protests shut the main highway between northern and southern Benin, on one occasion for a couple days. The 2023 legislative elections were peaceful and did not see demonstrations or violence near the scale of the 2021 presidential election.
Anti-U.S./Anti-Western Sentiment
The Beninese population generally holds U.S. nationals and other westerners in high regard, though some groups decry what they view as France’s “neo-colonial” role and harbor some resentment. With a degrading security situation in northern Benin due to spill-over dangers from the violent extremist organizations operating in the Sahel, a kidnapping threat targeting westerners has emerged.
Law Enforcement
The emergency line in Benin is 177 for the police and 118 for the fire and ambulance service.
The Beninese Armed Forces under the Defense Ministry are responsible for external security and support the Republican Police in maintaining internal security. The Republican Police, formed in 2018 through a merger of police and gendarmes, are under the Interior Ministry and have primary responsibility for enforcing law and maintaining order in urban and rural areas. Civilian authorities generally maintain effective control over security forces. There are reports from civil society groups of security force members abusing their authority against citizens.
Police Response
Police responsiveness and ability to investigate reported crimes is limited due to insufficient resources, lack of equipment, and inadequate training. However, local police are generally well intentioned and will respond eventually. Be aware of the nearest police station relative to your location, and plan to report crimes in person at a police station if you are a victim of a crime. Since French is the official language of Benin, have a French speaker on hand to report a crime.
There were no known incidents of harassment or unfair detention of U.S. citizens by Beninese police in recent years. U.S. citizens should contact the U.S. Embassy (+229 2130-7500) to report any incidents of police detention or harassment but understand that the U.S. Embassy cannot assist people who have been detained beyond providing general information
Travelers with Special Considerations
For specific traveler concerns in Benin, review the local laws and circumstances on the Department of State’s Country Information Page.
Rule of Law, Arbitrary Detention, Official Harassment, Corruption, & Transparency
The U.S. Department of State has not included a Risk of Wrongful Detention “D” Indicator on the Travel Advisory for Benin.
There are reports from civil society groups that police and military members use disproportionate and lethal force against citizens. Impunity is a problem. Although the government tries to control corruption and abuses, including by prosecuting and punishing public officials, officials sometimes engage in corrupt practices with impunity.
The constitution and law prohibit arbitrary arrest and detention, but Republican Police occasionally fail to observe these prohibitions. A person arrested or detained, regardless of whether on criminal or other grounds, is by law entitled to file a complaint with the liberty and detention chamber of the relevant court. The presiding judge may order the individual’s release if the arrest or detention is deemed unlawful.
The Government of Benin carries out arbitrary arrests of activists and political opponents. The law limits the maximum length of pretrial detention for felony cases to five years and to three years for misdemeanors. Approximately two-thirds of inmates are pretrial detainees.
The penal code prohibits torture and cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment. There have been numerous reported abuses.
The law provides for criminal penalties for corruption by officials, and the government sometimes implements the law effectively; however, there have been numerous reports of government corruption, and officials frequently engage in corrupt practices with impunity. It was commonly believed, and acknowledged by some judicial personnel, that the judicial system at all levels is susceptible to corruption.
Cybersecurity
Cybercrime is a concern. The Embassy frequently receives reports from U.S. citizens residing in the U.S. who have become victims of online financial scams originating (or claiming to originate) in Benin. These scams typically involve a con artist attempting to convince a victim to send money. These schemes can include lotteries, online dating services, inheritance notices, work permits/job offers, bank overpayments, or requests of assistance from a “new friend in trouble.” The Embassy strongly urges U.S. citizens not to send any money. Any funds you send are likely unrecoverable. Victims should halt contact with scammers immediately. Do not attempt to recover funds in person. Report the matter immediately to the Internet Crime Complaint Center, a partnership among the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the National White Collar Crime Center (NW3C), and the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BIA). Refer to the fraud warning on the Embassy’s website for more information.
Import/Export Restrictions
There are no restrictions on the use or importation of satellite phones. A country-specific listing of items/goods prohibited from being exported to the country or that are otherwise restricted is available from the U.S. International Trade Agency website.
Additional resources and reports can be found in the OSAC Traveler Toolkit.
