The current U.S. Department of State Travel Advisory at the date of this report’s publication assesses most of Benin at Level 1, indicating travelers should exercise normal precautions. Some areas have increased risk: exercise increased caution in urban areas due to the crime; and reconsider travel to the northern border with Burkina Faso and Parc W due to terrorism.
Overall Crime and Safety Situation
The U.S. Embassy in Cotonou does not assume responsibility for the professional ability or integrity of the persons or firms appearing in this report. The American Citizen Services (ACS) Unit cannot recommend a particular individual or location and assumes no responsibility for the quality of service provided.
Please review OSAC’s Benin-specific page for original OSAC reporting, consular alerts, and contact information, some of which may be available only to private-sector representatives with an OSAC password.
Crime Threats
There is serious risk from crime in Cotonou. A broad spectrum of criminal activity occurs in Cotonou. The majority of crimes affecting U.S. citizens are crimes of opportunity, such as pickpocketing, purse snatching, theft of valuables from vehicles, assaults, and residential burglaries. In particular, low-level criminal activity occurs in areas of congregation, particularly in the Dantokpa Market and on Cotonou’s beaches. Criminals may take advantage of foreigners attempting to navigate the crowded markets or leaving their belongings unattended. Avoid the Dantokpa market between dusk and dawn, and Cotonou’s beaches entirely.
Robbery and muggings occur along the Boulevard de France (the beach road by the Marina and Novotel Hotels), on the beaches near hotels frequented by international visitors, within the Haie Vive and Les Cocotiers neighborhoods (where popular bars and restaurants are located), and elsewhere. Most reported incidents involve the use of force by armed persons with minor injury to the victim. Criminals targeted U.S. and other diplomatic personnel living and working in the safest neighborhoods of Cotonou on multiple occasions in 2018.
The Embassy is aware of several armed robberies in 2017 and 2018 involving assault rifles. Armed robbers have used pistols, knives, and machetes during the commission of their crimes. Most attacks end violently and occur late at night or in the early morning hours. Locals report that the mornings are not safe until around 0630. Robberies are generally crimes of opportunity, with perpetrators targeting vulnerable victims and 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 resisting may cause the situation to escalate to violence.
Sexual assaults do occur and are usually associated with alcohol-related incidents. Some victims have reported that perpetrators used date-rape drugs. In August 2018, police reported an increase of sexual assaults on the beaches in/around the Fidjrosse neighborhood of Cotonou. For more information, please review OSAC’s Report Shaken: The Don’ts of Alcohol Abroad.
There have been numerous carjackings and robberies on roads after dark, several of which resulted in murder when the driver refused to comply with assailant demands. Carjacking is especially prevalent in rural areas; many cases involve armed bandits placing barricades in the roadway to slow or halt vehicles. Local media reports throughout 2018 also showed an uptick of violent car and moto-jackings in Cotonou and its surrounding suburbs.
Residential burglaries are also very common in Benin as a whole. Significant investment in residential security measures (e.g. perimeter walls, concertina wire, window/door grills, and alarms) including 24-hour contract guards often mitigate the dangers of home break-ins and prompt criminals to look for less secure targets.
Cybersecurity Issues
Cybercrime is a concern. The Embassy frequently receives reports from U.S. citizens residing in the United States 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 sent 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). Please refer to the fraud warning on the Embassy’s website for more information.
Transportation-Safety Situation
For more information, please review OSAC’s Report, Security in Transit: Airplanes, Public Transport, and Overnights.
Road Safety and Road Conditions
Traffic conditions can be treacherous throughout Benin – including in Cotonou – during the day. Driving is unsafe at night. It is not unusual to see pedestrian traffic on all motorways at all hours. Motorcyclists often do not use turn signals or headlights after dark, and often drive against the flow of traffic on divided roads. With the exception of the most popular restaurant areas in Cotonou (e.g. Haie Vive, Cocotier, Littoral neighborhoods), driving at night is discouraged. Vehicle maintenance and upkeep of large trucks and buses is poor. Large trucks break down or overturn frequently due to lack of maintenance and poor road conditions. Many road accidents result in death. For more information on self-driving, please review OSAC’s Report Driving Overseas: Best Practices or Road Safety in Africa.
Road conditions deteriorate noticeably outside of Cotonou. Even the trunk road linking Cotonou in the south to Malanville on the border with Niger in the north has sections that are severely deteriorated. Roads in Benin are generally in poor condition and are often impassable during the rainy season, especially if they are unpaved. The Government of Benin is undertaking large roadbuilding projects across the country. Although this will lead to positive results in the future, it often leads to faster deterioration of existing roads and shoulder areas due to more frequent use as drivers seek to avoid areas under construction. As a result, road conditions often decline significantly before they improve. Try to use four-wheel-drive vehicles with full spare tires and emergency equipment. Private vehicles must carry certain road emergency/safety items or risk a substantial fine.
The U.S. Embassy prohibits travel by diplomatic personnel outside of metropolitan areas after dusk, and urges all U.S. citizens to avoid night driving. During nighttime hours, rural roads are often used as sidewalks, congregation areas, and herding paths to move livestock more easily. Roads are rarely illuminated at night, particularly in more rural areas. The chance of road collisions with road hazards, pedestrians, or animals at night is extremely high.
Gasoline smuggled from Nigeria is widely available in glass bottles at informal roadside stands throughout much of the country. This gasoline is of unreliable quality, often containing water or other contaminants that can damage or disable vehicles. Purchase fuel only from official service stations. There are periodic gas shortages, especially in the north of the country where there are few service stations; travelers to these areas should bring additional fuel with them.
Public Transportation Conditions
Public transportation is not recommended. Benin’s public transportation system is poor, even in major metropolitan areas. Most buses and taxis are not well-maintained, though several new taxi companies have recently appeared in Cotonou. Still, car taxi users should understand the safety and crime risks associated with using them. The most common form of transport is licensed motorcycle taxis (zemijahns); however, many are unlicensed, and Embassy personnel are prohibited from using them.
Aviation/Airport Conditions
Cotonou Cadjehoun Airport (COO) is an old, two-terminal airport with limited capacity. The airport lacks many amenities and can get crowded. There have been reported instances of airport security personnel trying to extort money from passengers.
Terrorism Threat
Local, Regional, and International Terrorism Threats/Concerns
There is minimal risk from terrorism in Cotonou. There are no known indigenous terrorist organizations in Benin. Due to porous borders, there are concerns about terrorists entering Benin to fundraise, ship supplies, or plot attacks.
Although there have not been any terrorist attacks in Benin, terrorist activity emanating from Mali and spillover instability from neighboring countries – particularly Burkina Faso and Niger -- remains a growing concern.
Since January 2018, the security situation in eastern Burkina Faso on the other side of the border with Benin has deteriorated significantly. Terrorist groups have used improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and complex combined arms attacks to target Burkinabè law enforcement and security personnel, killing and wounding dozens. Terrorist actors, including regional affiliates of al-Qa’ida and Islamic State in Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS), have frequently attacked local security forces and civilians in Burkina Faso, including areas close to the border with Benin. Robberies, kidnappings, carjackings, and murder of civilians in eastern Burkina Faso have increased rapidly over the last year, as have reports of extremists coming into villages and demanding populations abide by fundamentalist ideologies. Increasing instability in eastern Burkina Faso has affected expatriates; attacks, kidnapping attempts, and murder targeting American, Canadian, Czech, and Spanish nationals occurred since December 2018. Some of these events occurred approximately 25 – 40 miles from Benin and/or along major transit arteries connecting Burkina Faso with Benin or Togo.
In addition, regional terrorist groups have launched several attacks targeting locations frequented by foreigners in major West African cities since 2015. Many of these groups have attacked capital cities and/or local, regional, and international security forces of countries that participate in stabilization and/or counterterrorism efforts in the Sahel. Benin contributes more than 400 troops and police to the UN peacekeeping mission in Mali (MINUSMA), prompting concerns about possible retaliation from Sahel-based extremist groups.
Two Nigeria-based terrorist groups, Boko Haram and ISIS-West Africa, operate in Lake Chad Basin countries that neighbor Benin. Boko Haram militants have used armed assaults, kidnappings, IEDs, and suicide vehicle-borne IEDs (SVBIEDs) to target churches, government installations, educational institutions, entertainment venues, markets, and refugee camps. ISIS-WA has predominantly targeted local and regional security forces, but has recently engaged in kidnapping. While Boko Haram and ISIS-WA activities have largely been localized to northeastern Nigeria and parts of Niger’s southeast and Cameroon’s far north, these groups have escalated operations in these areas over the last year. In 2017, Benin joined the multinational force to combat terrorism in the Lake Chad region, leading to concerns about potential retaliation from Chad Basin-based terrorist groups.
Anti-U.S./Anti-Western Sentiment
U.S. citizens are generally well regarded. There can be some harder feelings toward France, which colonized Benin.
Political, Economic, Religious, and Ethnic Violence
Civil Unrest
There is minimal risk from political violence in Cotonou. Public demonstrations, political gatherings, student protests, and strikes are common throughout Benin. Public discontent over economic/social conditions and local politics may precipitate these activities. The government recognizes freedom of assembly and association and authorizes public demonstrations. Demonstrations typically begin/end in front of government facilities in Cotonou. While most demonstrations are non-violent, violence and clashes with police may occur. Travelers should avoid all public demonstrations.
Religious/Ethnic Violence
There were no instances of inter-religious violence in 2018.
There are concerns of potential intercommunal violence related to land and grazing rights between nomadic herding people and subsistence farmers; this violence often takes on a religious and ethnic dimension, as herders are predominantly Fulani and Muslim, while farmers are typically members of other ethnic groups and are Christian/animist. Violent clashes between herders and farmers have escalated in Lake Chad Basin countries since late 2016, with Nigeria being particularly affected. Given Benin’s shared border with Nigeria and cross-national transhumance (herding flows that are often seasonal) between the two countries, spillover from intercommunal clashes could exacerbate existing tensions in Benin. In late 2018 there was a small outbreak of inter-communal violence in a town in northern Benin where several people lost their lives.
Post-specific Concerns
Environmental Hazards
Swimming conditions along Benin’s coastline are dangerous due to strong tides, waves, and rip currents; several people drown each year.
Floods are common during the rainy season (mid-March to June). Significant flooding can occur in northern areas, affecting transit between Niger and Benin. Due to lack of infrastructure and drainage capabilities, severe rainstorms quickly inundate roadways and villages, making major routes impassable and impeding transportation within Cotonou. A major bridge on the transport route linking Cotonou and Niamey was washed away in August 2018 by heavy flooding.
Piracy and Maritime Security
Piracy in the Gulf of Guinea presents an ongoing challenge for regional maritime security. While the majority of piracy events in 2018 occurred off the shores of Nigeria, multiple incidents were reported within ten nautical miles of Cotonou’s coast -- including at least two hijackings of anchored tankers and three boardings of tankers and cargo ships. Piracy incidents predominately affect the commercial shipping, fishing, and extractive sectors, and most acts in the Gulf of Guinea are committed by groups originating from Nigeria. Increasingly, pirates have kidnapped crew members for ransom; in such cases, victims have been transferred to other vessels or even taken ashore -- often to hideouts in southern Nigeria.
Critical Infrastructure
Most working conditions are unsafe due to poor structural integrity, electrical problems, and imprecise oversight. Utility outages and wiring-related residential fires are common. For more information on fire safety in hotels, please review OSAC’s Report, Fire Safety Abroad.
Economic Concerns
Economic espionage is rare, though counterfeit goods, to include counterfeit and fraudulent medicines, are a problem in local markets. The fraudulent medicine market is large in Benin. The Government of Benin has recognized this problem and is taking steps to stamp out the sale and import of fake medicine.
Privacy Concerns
Many locals do not like having their pictures taken, and photographing certain religious objects/sites is not welcome. For more information, please review OSAC’s Report, Picture This: Dos and Don’ts for Photography.
Personal Identity Concerns
Benin’s laws on sexual morality provide latitude for authorities to prosecute a range of sexual activity, even though its penal code does not mention or criminalize same-sex sexual relations. In general, Beninese authorities do not act against those in same-sex relationships. Local social norms favor discretion in sexual relations and are not uniformly accepting of same-sex relationships. Although Benin is less socially progressive than most Western cultures, Beninese citizens do not make many disparaging remarks regarding same-sex relationships in public.
Drug-related Crimes
Due to its port, Cotonou is considered a major trans-shipment point for illegal drugs. Benin’s air transport routes are also used by traffickers to ship illicit drugs to Europe and the United States. However, while illegal drugs are present, organized crime and associated armed violence is not as prevalent in Benin as in other countries.
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.
Be aware of the nearest police station relative to your location.
Benin’s prisons are poorly operated, unsafe, and overcrowded.
How to Handle Incidents of Police Detention or Harassment
There were no known incidents of U.S. citizens being harassed or unfairly detained by Beninese police in 2018. U.S. citizens are advised to contact the U.S. Embassy (Tel: (229) 2136-7500) to report any incidents of police detention or harassment. The RSO maintains a strong working relationship with law enforcement authorities and is often immediately contacted following any known incident involving an American.
Crime Victim Assistance
Emergency Police: 166
Fire Department/Ambulance: 118
Victims of crime should go in person to the nearest police station. Since French is the official language of Benin, have a French speaker on hand to report a crime. U.S. citizens should also contact the US Embassy’s American Citizens Section for assistance.
Medical Emergencies
Healthcare in Benin does not meet Western standards. Most hospitals and medical facilities do not have adequate supplies or drugs for treatment of major illnesses/injuries. Travelers are advised to bring sufficient amounts of medication for their stay, as many prescription medications are not available or may be counterfeit or expired. Medicines should only be purchased from reputable pharmacies. For more information, please refer to OSAC’s Report, Traveling with Medications.
Contact Information for Available Medical Services
For medical assistance, please refer to the Embassy’s Medical Assistance page.
Available Air Ambulance Services
SkyLink Aviation, Inc.: www.skylinkaviation.com
Insurance Guidance
Most medical facilities require cash payment for service, often in advance.
Serious illnesses/injuries often require medical evacuation (medevac) to another location where adequate medical care is available. Such services are very expensive and are generally available only to travelers who either have specific medevac insurance or who are able to pay for the service in advance; prices may range from US $40,000-$200,000.
Country-specific Vaccination and Health Guidance
All routine U.S. immunizations should be up to date prior to arrival; many diseases are more common in Benin than in the U.S.
Travelers should avoid swimming in any lakes, rivers, or still bodies of water, as most bodies of water have been found to contain parasites. Schistosomiasis is caused by a parasitic worm spread by freshwater snails. Avoid wading, swimming, bathing, washing in, or drinking from bodies of fresh water such as canals, lakes, rivers, streams, or springs.
Benin has had confirmed meningitis and Lassa fever outbreaks.
Diarrheal illness is very common among travelers even in large cities and luxury accommodations. Travelers can diminish diarrhea risk through scrupulous washing of hands and use of hand sanitizers, especially before food preparation and eating. The greatest risk of traveler’s diarrhea is from contaminated food. For more information, please refer to OSAC’s Report, I’m Drinking What in My Water?
Even in urban areas, dogs may have rabies; clean bites/scratches from dogs, bats, or other mammals immediately with soap and water, and seek medical evaluation to determine if additional rabies immunization is warranted. For more information, please review OSAC’s Report When Wildlife Attacks.
The CDC offers additional information on vaccines and health guidance for Benin.
OSAC Country Council Information
The Cotonou Country Council meets quarterly. Interested parties should contact OSAC’s Africa team with any questions.
U.S. Embassy Location and Contact Information
Embassy Address and Hours of Operation
U.S. Embassy Cotonou, Blvd de la Marina, 01 BP 2012, Cotonou Benin
Hours: ACS emergencies 24/7; standard ACS Tuesday, 1030-1230; Thursday, 1400-1600.
Embassy Contact Numbers
Embassy Operator: (229) 21 30 06 50
Consular Duty Officer: (229) 97 97 47 28
Website: http://cotonou.usembassy.gov/
Embassy Guidance
If you are going to reside in or visit Benin, please take the time to tell our Embassy about your presence in-country. If you enroll, we can keep you up to date with important safety and security announcements. It will also help your friends and family get in touch with you in an emergency. To enroll your stay or visit, click the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP).
Travelers should check with their sponsoring organization to ensure they have the correct documentation in place or risk penalties (detention, fines, deportation).
Additional Resources
Benin Country Information Sheet
Benin Travel Advisory
