Benin's ruling party presidential candidate Romuald Wadagni pledged to create new municipal police forces in northern border towns to counter growing jihadist attacks as part of his platform ahead of the April 12 election, Reuters reported on March 23. Wadagni emphasized local recruitment and stronger cooperation with neighboring countries like Niger and Nigeria to bolster security.

Wadagni's pledge comes a few days after the chiefs of staff of the French, Ivorian and Beninese militaries reportedly discussed combating jihadist activity in northern Benin and Cote d'Ivoire and committed to strengthened trilateral counterterrorism cooperation. In northern Benin, the military has previously deployed around 3,000 troops under Operation Mirador and recruited an additional 5,000 personnel to strengthen border security against jihadist threats. Most attacks have been carried out by the al Qaeda Sahel affiliate Jamaat Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin within the W-Arly-Pendjari Complex spanning Benin and the Sahel region, particularly Burkina Faso and Niger, where insurgency has intensified over the years.