Instead of receiving Seasons Greetings, residents in seven informal settlements along Cotonou’s East Bank in Benin, were shocked to receive an evictions summons on 24 December 2024. The Ministry for the Living Environment ordered all residents to vacate by 6 January 2025, citing illegal occupation of public land and that the eviction formed part of an operation to clean up the riverbank and roll out sanitation services.
Hazobit Benin swiftly responded by meeting with the affected communities. On behalf of the community, Hazobit drafted a letter to the Ministry for the Living Environment, the Ministry for Planning and Development, and other government departments, urging dialogue. “This approach was supported by the SDI Secretariat as well as the SDI Network, particularly the Confederation of all French-speaking federations (C8), UrbaSen and the Association urbaMonde,” explains Papa Keita, Director of UrbaSen. “In fact, all the member countries of the French-speaking hub reacted spontaneously as soon as the publication was posted on the sharing networks that we have set up since the hub meeting in Cotonou,” he adds.
The Benin Government Ministers agreed to meet, and the affected communities selected their representatives including some local chiefs and members of Hazobit Benin to form a delegation. Women leaders and young people were at the heart of the mobilisation process. Lawani Raïmat, a Hazobit member from the Abokikodji settlement, was also threatened with eviction and formed part of the delegation who met with national government officials, “I was really upset when the government announced the eviction, because I have nowhere to go, but now I feel a bit calmer because of Hazobit’s actions. I beg the government to have mercy on us.”
Fortunately, government officials agreed to postpone the eviction and committed to dialogue with the community to explore alternative solutions. They also pledged to provide social support and rehousing for those who may still be affected. Local authorities promised to collaborate with the communities to improve the informal settlements and minimize displacement as much as possible.
Benin Federation President, Antoine Agossou, commented that while the, “state has the right to improve living conditions by initiating development projects, the people at grassroots level need to be involved in decision-making from now on.”
urbaSEN and the Association urbaMonde are working closely with the Benin Federation to collectively find lasting solutions. “The search for solutions, which Hazobit has already begun by raising awareness among its members and gathering information, will be completed by the presentation of a dossier with concrete proposals that will be discussed with the Ministry,” says Papa Keita.
Hazobit is also facilitating regular dialogues with the affected communities and local government officials in attendance, to co-develop sustainable solutions. The Federation commends government officials for embracing the spirit of dialogue and encourages them to stay the course.
Antoine advises communities affected by evictions to, where possible, try negotiations as the first port of call. He adds that it is also “important for federations to have reliable data so that they can use it to convince governments when making their case.”
