Benin–Burkina Faso relations
Benin–Burkina Faso relations are the bilateral diplomatic relations between Benin and Burkina Faso. The two countries share a state border measuring 386 km in length.
History
In the second half of the 19th century, France began establishing small trading posts along the coast of West Africa. In 1851, a friendship treaty was signed between France and the Kingdom of Dahomey, in what is now southern Benin, followed by the establishment of a protectorate in Porto-Novo in 1863. French Dahomey was officially proclaimed in 1894 and later, in 1899, became part of the larger colony of French West Africa.
In the 1880s, European powers engaged in intense competition for territories in Africa, a process known as the "Scramble for Africa," which culminated in the Berlin Conference of 1884, where participating European nations agreed on territorial claims and future rules of engagement. As a result, France gained control over the upper Niger River valley (approximately the territory of modern Mali and Niger) and began occupying what is now Mali (then French Sudan) and Burkina Faso (then French Upper Volta) during the 1880s and 1890s. This region was called Upper Senegal and Niger, and borders were established between this colony and Dahomey between 1901 and 1914. The colony of Upper Volta (modern Burkina Faso) was created in March 1919, abolished in 1932 with its territory divided between Niger and Ivory Coast, and later re-established in 1947 with its former boundaries. The border between Dahomey and Upper Volta was formally confirmed by a French decree on 27 October 1938.
As the decolonization movement gained momentum after World War II, France gradually granted more political rights and representation to its African territories, leading to broad internal autonomy for each colony in 1958 under the French Community. Dahomey declared full independence on 1 August 1960, followed shortly after by Upper Volta on 5 August, turning their shared border into an international boundary between two sovereign states.
Sections of the border remained disputed in some areas. Several incidents occurred in the contested Koalu and Niorgu regions, causing tension in the 2000s. In May 2009, the two countries signed an agreement establishing a small neutral zone in the area until a final resolution could be reached by the International Court of Justice.
In recent years, the border region has been affected by ongoing Islamist insurgencies in the Sahel, mainly on the Burkinabe side. In May 2019, two French tourists traveling in Pendjari National Park were kidnapped, and their Beninese guide was killed. Governments generally advise against travel to the border region between Benin and Burkina Faso.
Benin and Burkina Faso are both members of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). A border dispute remains over the delimitation near the town of Koualou/Kuru.
See also
- Foreign relations of Benin
- Foreign relations of Burkina Faso
- Benin–Burkina Faso border
References
Burkina Faso Category:Bilateral relations of Burkina Faso