Attachments
Description of the Event
Date when the trigger was met
What happened, where and when?
On the evening of Wednesday, 4 June 2025, the police station in Tanougou, located in the commune of Tanguiéta (Atacora department), came under armed attack during a heavy rainstorm. The incident resulted in multiple fatalities and injuries, sparking widespread fear and triggering mass displacement toward downtown Tanguiéta and surrounding villages. A rapid assessment conducted on 7 June 2025 conrmed the displacement of 571 households—approximately 4,404 people. Among them, 183 host families were identied in Tanguiéta. In the neighboring commune of Toucountouna, an estimated 1,323 individuals found refuge with 27 host families, corresponding to roughly 195 displaced households.
This was not an isolated incident. Just two weeks earlier, on the morning of Wednesday, 14 May 2025, the same police station in Tanougou had been targeted by a group of unidentied armed men. That attack led to the displacement of 409 households—around 3,046 individuals—by 1 June. In total, both attacks displaced approximately 766 households: 571 in Tanguiéta and 195 in Toucountouna. At least 210 host families are currently sheltering those aected, including 183 in Tanguiéta and 27 in Toucountouna.
These latest incidents are part of a broader and rapidly worsening security crisis in northern Benin. Since 2021, the country has faced growing instability spilling over from the Sahel, with the departments of Atacora and Alibori experiencing repeated attacks and successive waves of displacement. In 2023 alone, over 6,800 people were displaced due to violent events, and by October of that year, the Red Cross of Benin (RCB) had registered 19,059 displaced individuals across both departments. The trend continued into 2024 and 2025, marked by rising insecurity and humanitarian needs. Armed raids in January and April 2025 resulted in the deaths of more than 80 members of the security forces, further displacements, and heightened fear among local populations. As of early 2024, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) estimated that 12,501 people were internally displaced in Benin, 37% of whom were children.
Despite the gravity of the situation, the humanitarian crisis in northern Benin remains underreported and dicult to document.
According to the RCB and other eld sources, living conditions in aected areas have steadily deteriorated over the past three years. Local authorities and humanitarian actors, including the RCB, face serious limitations in their capacity to respond, particularly in hard-toreach zones.
These developments raise serious concerns about the protection and well-being of internally displaced persons (IDPs) and the overstretched host communities now sheltering them.
The attack of 4 June highlights the urgent need to scale up humanitarian assistance. With more than 15,000 people currently displaced and pressure mounting on already vulnerable host families, immediate action is needed to prevent a deeper humanitarian crisis.