Legal framework on freedom of religion and actual application
The Constitution of Benin defines the country as a secular state that prohibits religious discrimination. Religious freedom is enshrined as a fundamental human right and is considered a core principle of interreligious life. The Constitution requires political parties to respect the secular nature of the State in their actions and initiatives. In fact, the Constitution affirms that “the secularity of the State may not be made the object of a revision” (Article 156).
People who wish to establish a religious community must register within the Ministry of the Interior.
Religious instruction is not allowed in public schools, but private schools run by religious groups are allowed to teach religion and can receive public funding.
Relations between religious communities have been peaceful. A significant percentage of the population practise voodoo.
According to the BTI Transformation Index, “the government has the effective power to govern”, though “decisions of elected officials can sometimes be influenced by third parties such as business, religious or traditional leaders, but not in a systematic way.” The same report states, “Catholics are over-represented in state offices as a result of the role of the Church in education. However, this does not transfer into dogmatic interference. Generally, religious pluralism and tolerance are the rule.”
Incidents and developments
Generally, in Benin, the right to religious freedom is respected. Challenges remain, however, within the political processes. In April 2021, Patrice Talon won re-election in the first round of the presidential election with 86.36 percent of the vote. International observers contend that the authorities had “disqualified, arrested, or forced into exile the major opposition candidates”.
In April 2021, the Catholic Church in Benin celebrated 160 years of evangelization. Despite the joyful celebrations, concerns were expressed to the continuing syncretism – the mixing of Christianity with witchcraft – among the faithful. A Fides journalist stated: “Unfortunately many Catholics still have one foot in the Church and one foot in the various sanctuaries of traditional religion, where they are promised power and wealth at a good price.”
On 20th May 2021, the Catholic Bishops Conference condemned “the resurgence of ritual crimes and human sacrifices in some parts of our country, sometimes leading to mob justice.” Benin witnessed a rise in ritual crimes with bodies found abandoned. Beninese with albinism have also become victims of traditional healers “owing to the belief that their organs can promote the cure of some illnesses”.
On 21st October 2021, Benin’s parliament adopted a bill modifying the provisions of Articles 17 and 19 of the Sexual and Reproductive Health Act of 2003, legalizing abortion in most circumstances. Previously abortion was legal only in cases of rape or incest, if the mother’s life was at risk, or if the unborn child had a particularly serious medical condition.
Two days before, on 19th October, the Catholic Bishops of Benin urged in unequivocal terms the MP’s to oppose the bill stating: “You, the Members of Parliament, You, the God-fearing parliamentarians, You, the Catholic parliamentarians, The Bishops of Benin beseech you in the name of God, in the name of our humanity, in the name of the little innocents, to draw from the cultural, moral and spiritual values of the people you represent, the necessary resources to say a categorical NO to the culture of death.”
For several years, Benin has been subjected to growing threats from Islamic extremists and jihadists. Groups linked to Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State are active in Burkina Faso and Niger, Benin’s northern neighbours, and have increasingly made incursions into its territory.
On 2nd December 2021, two soldiers were killed in an attack by Islamist militants in northern Benin. This was the first reported attack since 2019.
On 8th and 10th February 2022, nine people were killed in attacks by Islamist militants in northern Benin in a national park, Parc W, on the border with Niger and Burkina Faso. Late on Thursday February 10, an Extraordinary Council of Ministers was called by the President of Benin “confirming the Government’s assurance to focus on security throughout the country and to accelerate its ongoing strategic response to what are being identified as terrorist attacks”.
A survey by the Africa Centre for Strategic Studies of 37 livestock herders in villages neighboring Benin’s Parc W identified that, “95 percent of respondents expressed the opinion that violent extremists could gain influence by intervening in land conflicts”. Militant groups, originating from Burkina Faso, “have reportedly already established contacts in northern Benin and are beginning to be seen regularly in villages”. According to the same report, militants are linking up with disenfranchised Fulani youth, often criminals known as “road cutters” who ambush vehicles and rob travellers in rural areas.
On 13th April 2022, five soldiers were killed in a national park in northern Benin, allegedly perpetrated by Islamic State militants.
In October 2022, the Benin government announced its army “foiled a ‘terrorist’ attack in the country's northwest, killing eight gunmen suspected of operating from across the northern frontier”. Benin’s military has “faced more than a dozen militant incursions” since 2021 with concerns mounting “over the spread southward of the Islamic State group and al-Qaida-linked violence from the Sahel”.
Prospects for freedom of religion
Three northern Benin regions share geographic proximity to areas of violent extremist activity, specifically Burkina Faso, Niger and Nigeria. In addition to the threat of Islamist violence spillover, reports indicate the increasing risks of creating their own branches of extremist organisations as evidenced by the rise of “roaming preachers, recruitment among youth […], the transit of Sahelian fighters and trade with violent extremists”.
Notwithstanding these increasing security threats, to which attention needs to be paid, religious freedom is generally respected and the prospects for religious freedom in Benin remain positive.
Benin