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Benin: The trafficking of narcotics to Europe, including the involvement of public officials in such operations; the measures taken by government authorities to repress such unlawful activities and fight the corruption of public officials (2002-2003)

A United States Department of State report on narcotics control published on 4 March 2002 indicated among others things, that [translation] "Benin is a transit route for illegal narcotics moving through West Africa." However, this report also indicated that [translation] "the [Government of Benin] is seeking to implement a national counternarcotics policy and a national action plan, as well as to coordinate drug enforcement operations through the Central Office Against Illegal Drug Trafficking (Office central de répression du trafic illicite des drogues, OCERTID)" (United States 4 Mar. 2002). A copy of Decree No. 99-141 of 15 March 1999 respecting the creation and powers of OCERTID is attached to this Response.

The travel advice section ("fiches conseils aux voyageurs") of the Website of the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs indicated, among other things, that in Benin [translation] "the use of narcotics, including cannabis, is prohibited (there is a crackdown on driving under the influence of drugs) and controls are tight" (France 12 Jan. 2004). According to the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDA), [translation] "violations of the narcotics legislation are harshly punished" in Benin (Switzerland 2003). The Department of State also noted that, in Benin, the possession, use and trafficking of illegal narcotics is punishable by heavy fines and prison terms (United States 14 Jan. 2004).

Law No. 87-009 of 21 September 1987 covers [translation] "the punishment of violations involving the abuse, trade, possession and use of poisonous substances," including narcotics (Benin 12 Sept. 1987; ECB n.d.), whereas Decree No. 91-13 of 24 January 1991 covers [translation] "the control of the import of goods that are hazardous to human health and state security," including narcotics (ibid.; Benin 24 Jan. 1991).

However, the European Chemicals Bureau (ECB) found that coercive measures were poorly enforced and that the resources Benin allocates for enforcing the two above-mentioned legal instruments remained inadequate (ECB n.d.). Benin also ratified the 1988 United Nations Convention Against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (United States 4 Mar. 2002), as well as the 1961 Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs (Switzerland 2 Apr. 2002).

No current information on the involvement of public officials in drug trafficking, or the extent of their corruption, could be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate. However, Transparency International's global report on corruption for 2003 indicated that Benin's president, Mathieu Kérékou, had stressed [Transparency International English version] "the damage that [public sector corruption] does to development" (2003, 292). This report also stated that Benin [Transparency International English version] "is losing FCFA 50 billion (US $75 million) a year through corruption" (Transparency International 2003, 292).

Quoting media and security reports, the International Transport Workers' Federation (ITF) indicated that the last few years had seen [ITF English version] "institutionalized extortion and corruption at borders in particular in Benin, Togo and Nigeria. Border police, customs and immigration officers, health and drug control personnel and national security operatives are reported to be involved in the extortion of travellers" (ITF 15 Oct. 2002).

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum. Please find below the list of additional sources consulted in researching this Information Request.

References

Benin. 24 January 1991. Décret 91-13 du 24 janvier 1991, portant réglementation de l'importation des produits de nature dangereuse pour la santé humaine et la sécurité de l'État. <http://www.unodc.org/unodc/fr/legal_library/bj/legal_library_1997-11-20_1997-67.html> [Accessed 12 Jan. 2004]
_____. 21 September 1987. Loi no 87-009 du 21 septembre 1987 relative à la répression des infractions en matière d'usage, de commerce, de détention et d'emploi de substances vénéneuses. <http://www.unodc.org/unodc/fr/legal_library/bj/legal_library_1989-10-18_1988-18.html> [Accessed 12 Jan. 2004]

European Chemicals Bureau (ECB). n.d. "Instruments juridiques et mécanismes non réglementaires pour la gestion des produits chimiques : le cas du Bénin." <http://ecb.jrc.it/natprof/benin/Chapitre4.htm> [Accessed 12 Jan. 2004]

France. 12 January 2004. Ministry of Foreign Affairs. "Fiches conseils aux voyageurs : Bénin." <http://www.france.diplomatie.fr/voyageurs/etrangers/avis/conseils/fiches/p_ficheasp?pays=BENIN> [Accessed 12 Jan. 2004]

International Transport Workers' Federation (ITF) [London]. 15 October 2002. "La 6eme journée d'action internationale des transports routiers. La fatigue tue!" <http://www.itf.org.uk/road_transport/fatigue_kills_2002/alert_3_fr.htm> [Accessed 14 Jan. 2004]

Switzerland. 2003. Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDA). "Conseils aux voyageurs pour : Bénin." <http://www.eda.admin.ch/eda/f/tool/cont_travad/benin.p.html> [Accessed 12 Jan. 2004]
_____. 2 April 2002. The Federal Authorities of the Swiss Confederation. "Convention unique sur les stupéfiants de 1961." <http://www.admin.ch/ch/f/rs/0_812_121_0> [Accessed 12 Jan. 2004]

Transparency International. 2003. Rapport mondial sur la corruption 2003 : Afrique de l'Ouest. <http://www.globalcorruptionreport.org/download/gcr2003/20_West_Africa_FRENCH.pdf> [Accessed 14 Jan. 2004]

United States. 14 January 2004. United States Department of State. "Consular Information Sheet: Benin." <http://travel.state.gov/benin.html> [Accessed 14 Jan. 2004]
_____. 4 March 2002. La stratégie en matière de lutte internationale contre les stupéfiants : Afrique subsaharienne. <http://usinfo.state.gov/francais/f2030401.htm#benin> [Accessed 12 Jan. 2004]

Additional Sources Consulted

Africa Confidential 2003
Africa Research Bulletin 2003
Dialog
IRB Databases
Resource Centre country file. Benin
West Africa

Internet sites, including :

Africatime
Allafrica
Le Matinal
Le Républicain
ReliefWeb

Attachment

Benin. 15 mars 1999. Décret no 99-141 du 15 mars 1999, portant création et attribution de l'Office central de répression du trafic illicite des drogues et des précurseurs. <http://www.bj.refer.org/benin_ct/med/jo/jo19/misat1.htm> [Accessed 14 Jan. 2004], pp. 1-3.

Topics: Drug trafficking, Corruption,