In the shadow of violent extremism, communities in West Africa are finding that youth centers are more than just sites for recreation. With the right support, these centers can strengthen social cohesion among young people and offer positive alternatives to extremism. 

However, the opposite can also occur. In northern Benin, the Dassari Youth Center had fallen into neglect, becoming a hub for illicit activities due to a lack of maintenance and oversight. Thanks to the concerted efforts of the community, local officials and the Littorals Regional Initiative (LRI) program supported by USAID’s Office of Transition Initiatives (OTI), it has now transformed into a vibrant center of unity and positive engagement for Dassari’s youth. 

The availability of such constructive spaces is crucial, even lifesaving, for the youth in Benin and the larger region, providing them with a safe environment to grow and socialize with peers from different backgrounds. 

“It delights us to find ourselves among several ethnic groups,” says Oumarou Djapourga, a youth of Fulbe descent from Dassari. “We have learned about the realities of others and now know how to live in peace.”  

Since 2021, rehabilitating youth centers in Benin has sparked a transformative movement that empowers young people and fosters community cohesion. Youth now have a safe place to spend their free time, play sports and build positive relationships, promoting peaceful coexistence. 

A need for inclusive spaces 

Dassari is part of Materi commune in northern Benin, near the borders of Burkina Faso and Togo, making it a prime target for attacks by violent extremist organizations. In the summer of 2022, armed men killed two people and injured two others in nearby Tantega. 

USAID/OTI’s LRI is a locally focused program. It addresses the specific needs of a community by involving local stakeholders, tailoring solutions to the local context and building local capacity for sustainable impact. Beginning in 2021, LRI conducted workshops on preventing violent extremism in several communes, revealing a critical need for inclusive spaces where youth could engage positively. 

In 2022, local officials in Materi requested support from USAID to refurbish the Dassari Youth Center to facilitate interaction and positive relationships among youth from different ethnic backgrounds. In late 2023, LRI supported the Materi mayor’s office in rehabilitating the center. The work included repairing ceilings, upgrading the electrical system, painting walls and refurbishing handball and basketball courts.  

Youth from diverse communities were actively engaged in the rehabilitation process, fostering trust and positive interactions. A local company hired 37 young men and women from various ethnic backgrounds within the community to do the work together. 

“Since the rehabilitation work began, the perception of the majority ethnic group towards us has changed significantly,” Oumaraou Djapourga says. “Previously, those of us from ethnic minorities were excluded from work activities. However, the authorities have now assured us that the center is for everyone and that we can actively participate. This demonstrates the growing acceptance of the indigenous communities towards us.”  

On Jan. 19, 2024, more than 400 community members joined authorities to celebrate the official opening of the newly renovated youth center, marking the beginning of a new chapter for the youth of Dassari.  

“The rehabilitated youth center addresses a crucial need within our communities, providing a safe space for our populations in this fragile security context,” says Materi Mayor Robert Wimbo Kassa. “We are committed to utilizing the center effectively and ensuring its benefits reach all members of our society. We will implement healthy activities to foster cohesion and unity and ensure equal access for all social classes, including minorities.”  

Dame Fati, a young woman from Dassari, says she is happy to have a place that welcomes young people of different genders.  

“As a young woman, I feel included because local officials now invite us to participate in activities,” Fati says. “This place provides us with the opportunity to come together and engage in activities just like our male youth.” 

Sparking youth civic engagement 

Since the inauguration, youth have initiated socio-cultural and sports activities at the Dassari Youth Center, fostering positive interaction between ethnic groups. The center hosted various socio-cultural activities, including songs and dances in different local languages.  

The youth center has also become a venue for meetings between young people and local officials. In March 2024, officials and 30 young people met to discuss a new agricultural project. Responding to a request by the youth, officials agreed to arrange the excavation of a borehole to provide drinking water for visitors to the center. 

The local authority designated two seats for youth on the center’s seven-member management committee. That gives youth a say in the center’s day-to-day operations and planning for improvements, making youth feel empowered. 

The center has instilled a sense of responsibility in local youth. Some youth who met through the center formed an inclusive association called the Youth Association for the Development of the District of Dassari, which meets periodically to discuss issues that concern them. They also established a WhatsApp group for discussing peace and social cohesion and organize regular clean-up efforts to maintain the center. 

Renewal of a youth center in Kandi 

The community of Kandi in northern Benin experienced a similar transformation.  

In Kandi, youth unemployment, idleness, and drug consumption make young people vulnerable to recruitment by violent extremist organizations. 

The Leman Fari Youth Center, a complex with an auditorium and sports courts constructed in 2010, had fallen into disrepair by 2021. Lack of maintenance led to its deterioration, making it unsafe and rarely used. When LRI conducted a community dialogue in late 2021, Kandi community leaders appealed for USAID’s support in rehabilitating the youth center. 

LRI provided financial support to the mayor’s office to rehabilitate the center from late 2022 through early 2023. The work expanded a handball court, repaired a basketball court and added playgrounds, storage areas, offices and toilets.  

In February 2023, U.S. Ambassador Brian Shukan, local authorities and youth representatives inaugurated the center. A representative of the mayor’s office praised the impact of the center’s rehabilitation during a handball tournament.  

“This center is being reborn, given the large number of spectators we see today,” said the official, N’diaye Ibrahim. “It is a dream for me to see this gem made available to us by USAID.” 

After the renovation, the center began hosting periodic tournaments where local youth could come together and build positive relationships. The events highlight the value of sports tournaments in fostering unity and enjoyment.  

“The tournament allowed young people to come together and move forward,” says Alidou Oubédou, a young student from Kandi commune who comes to the center to play handball. “We really needed this to get together and have fun.”   

Cultural events and cross-cultural connections 

The center in Kandi began hosting cultural events and musical concerts, drawing as many as 300 young attendees. These events have provided a platform for young people to celebrate their cultural heritage.  

“I now have a place to flourish,” says Andra Amzath, a young spectator. “I encourage young people to take care of this center and strengthen the links between them by continuing to organize tournaments in the center.” 

In addition to fostering interaction between different ethnic groups, the center’s revival has promoted the inclusion of people with disabilities. A basketball match was organized between teams of people with disabilities from Kandi and Cotonou, drawing a large and diverse crowd. 

The center’s rehabilitation has also led to youth leadership in the community. Young people have taken the initiative to organize events and awareness campaigns on social cohesion.  

“The rehabilitation of the center means that young people are more fulfilled during the holidays because the center is livelier than before,” says Arouna Roufai, a youth and member of the center’s management committee. 

The center’s rehabilitation has also contributed to the preservation of cultural traditions. Traditional activities like wrestling competitions have been organized, ensuring cultural heritage is celebrated and shared with younger generations. 

The youth centers in Benin have become beacons of hope and unity in a region plagued by insecurity and division. The involvement of young people in the rehabilitation and management of the centers strengthened their sense of belonging to the community. The centers now serve as venues for cultural events, recreation, and civic engagement.  

The transformation of these youth centers goes beyond infrastructure, showcasing the power of safe spaces for positive youth engagement.  

In West Africa, many communities have been caught off guard by the spread of violent extremism. Along Benin’s northern border with Niger, local officials felt almost paralyzed after a series of events in April 2022.  

A threatening letter left at a mosque in Karimama warned that extremists would attack unless residents allowed them to recruit their youth. In what appeared to be related to the letter, an extremist group attacked on April 26, 2022, the police station in Monsey, setting it ablaze and killing an officer. Residents feared that violent extremist groups had infiltrated their community and were planning further attacks. 

“We were living in fear and did not know what to say to the communities who were terrorized, especially after the attack on the police station,” says Amadou Bonkanon, Second Deputy Mayor of Karimama commune. 

Communities felt alone in the face of extremism 

Insecurity had been growing in northern Benin since late 2021. The situation escalated in 2022 with fatal attacks on soldiers, a customs post and a police post in Benin’s northern department of Alibori, which includes the commune of Karimama. In fear, several hundred people fled the commune and took refuge in neighboring areas.  

Community members expressed concern about the lack of response from government authorities. National officials did not send any message of assurance about efforts being put in place to secure the communities’ safety, nor any guidance on how to react in such situations. Local officials lacked the skills to liaise with national officials and international agencies to gain extra support. Citizens felt vulnerable and marginalized, a climate that weakens social cohesion and trust in institutions. 

Moreover, local authorities admitted they were not prepared to practice effective communication in times of crisis. For example, local authorities shared sensitive information about extremist violence with all staff at the town hall, not realizing it placed them at risk. Similarly, local officials asked mosque leaders to make public statements against extremism without considering that this could pose dangers for the religious leaders. 

“Before, during Friday sermons and prayers, we publicly asked that the imams pray for the commune, pray to protect us against violent extremist groups, without knowing that it was dangerous,” says Medawa Oumarou, First Deputy Mayor of Karimama commune.  

Local officials overlooked the possibility that extremists could be present among the congregations who could identify mosque leaders as targets if they spoke out against extremism. “We lacked understanding on how to discreetly report incidents or suspicions without putting ourselves at risk of reprisals,” Oumarou said. 

A turnaround in local security 

In an inspiring turnaround, the local officials were able to regain a sense of agency amid the advance of violent extremism thanks in part to training and support from the Littorals Regional Initiative funded by USAID’s Office of Transition Initiatives (OTI) that generated results this year.  

In line with its strategy to empower local leaders in preventing violent extremism, USAID/OTI’s Littorals Regional Initiative focused on improving local officials’ crisis communications skills.  

In partnership with the Organisation pour le Développement Durable, le Renforcement et l’Auto-promotion des Structures Communautaires (Organization for Sustainable Development, Strengthening and Self-promotion of Community Structures), a Beninese NGO that promotes social justice and empowers disadvantaged communities, organized a comprehensive two-day training on preventing violent extremism and conflict-sensitive communication customized for 25 religious and community leaders and five officials from the mayor’s office of Karimama in the northern department of Alibori including Karimama Mayor Soule Sambo Issifou in May 2022. Underscoring the importance of effective communication with the populace after attacks, the training equipped the leaders to understand and effectively communicate about violent extremism, calm fears and reduce communities’ feelings of abandonment.  

Abdoulaye Guiwa, District Chief of Monsey, was kidnapped by extremists during the attack on the Monsey police station.  

“I was with my family at home when it happened,” Guiwa recalls. “Everyone in the house was scared. People were crying and thought it was over for me. They took me far into the bush, and for days I was kept with other people who were kidnapped, too.” 

Guiwa managed to escape when the kidnappers were not paying attention. He now believes that his lack of understanding of crisis communication was part of the reason he was kidnapped.  

“At that time, we didn’t understand that our way of communicating was exposing us,” Guiwa says. “We shared sensitive information in public and collaborated with the security forces in full view of everyone. This could be the reason for my kidnap.” 

Reflecting on the training, Guiwa says his actions have changed. 

“With this training, I sincerely understood how much I put myself in danger on several occasions. I now know how to communicate or denounce without putting myself in danger,” Guiwa adds. “Now we know how to inform the hierarchy without putting ourselves in danger and to ensure the authenticity of the information or to verify it before communicating it.” 

Ismail Badou Soffo, a community leader and resident of the village of Djindjiré-Béri in Tanguieta commune, says crisis communication was not coordinated in the past.  

“Initially, we didn’t receive any formal communication or guidance on how to act when there is a threat or even when there is an attack, so each of us did what we thought was best,” Soffo says. “Now I handle rumors differently. When I hear one, I don’t spread it, and I ask the person who shared it to stop spreading it further. Then, I look for the source, and try to verify the truthfulness, and then decide on the appropriate course of action.” 

The training program provided religious leaders with communication approaches they can safely use during Friday sermons to counter violent extremism and promote ethnic tolerance and social cohesion. After the program, imams transmitted messages of tolerance and coexistence during religious services while encouraging residents to remain calm and cautious, given the municipality’s situation after the Monsey attack.  

“We must educate all prayer callers to lower their voices and avoid using microphones during the call to prayer,” says Garba Aoudou, a religious leader from Karimama. “I advise all participants to strictly avoid talking about violent extremist organizations during public gatherings, as we don’t know everyone present.” 

To begin repairing the loss of trust, the Littorals Regional Initiative and DEDRAS also organized two days of dialogue in June 2022 involving community leaders, local government authorities, and community members from Karimama. Participants shared their perspectives on the attack in Monsey, renewing trust between residents and authorities and fostering goodwill within the community. 

Sharing strategy with other communities 

Discussions during the interventions highlighted the need for a proactive strategy to prepare at-risk communities before violent extremist attacks occur. USAID/OTI’s Littorals Regional Initiative recognized that raising awareness among elected officials from less-affected areas would encourage action to prevent violent extremism while diffusing effective communication approaches.  

By bridging the communication gap between local authorities and constituents, Karimama Mayor Issifou expresses strong support for extending the training to mayors and authorities in other communes. Issifou also notes the value of local officials meeting with their peers from other town halls to enhance communication during security crises. 

To support sharing the knowledge with other local officials across the region, USAID/OTI’s Littorals Regional Initiative and DEDRAS provided refresher training on conflict-sensitive communication and preventing violent extremism in May 2023 for Mayors Issifou and Kassa as well as their four deputy mayors. The partners then supported the mayors of Karimama and Materi in organizing an experience-sharing tour by visiting the town halls of 25 communes in the departments of Atacora, Donga, Borgou and Alibori from May to July 2023.  

During the tour, Karimama Mayor Issifou and Materi Mayor Wimbo Robert Kassa shared lessons learned and conflict-sensitive communication strategies with their counterparts from other communes. Mayors Issifou and Kassa used the opportunity to advocate for the formation of a regional coalition of northern mayors to advocate for support from national and international officials in countering violent extremism. 

To share experiences from the tour, the USAID/OTI’s Littorals Regional Initiative and DEDRAS organized a conference on peace and social cohesion in August 2023, gathering mayors from northern Benin’s four departments. At the conference in Parakou, 32 participants discussed how to address the causes of insecurity, such as improvements in infrastructure, youth employment, and intelligence. The conference improved coordination and communication among the mayors as they agreed on the topics they would press during advocacy visits in 2024. 

Advocating to end violent extremism 

The partners supported mayor delegations in making advocacy visits in January and February 2024 with national authorities from five ministries and four commissions and agencies and international representatives from three embassies. 

In late January 2024, a group of six mayors from northern Benin and DEDRAS staff made advocacy visits to numerous national ministries and institutions. The mayors recounted to national officials the attacks that their communities had suffered, including kidnappings, targeted killings and theft of livestock.  

The mayors informed national officials of the harmful consequences resulting from the violence, including inter-communal tensions, economic downturns, closure of primary schools and displacement of residents. The mayors asked the national officials to provide support by promoting youth employment, providing local security plans, easing curfews, improving security for communal officials, securing roads between municipalities and reinforcing defense and security forces. The national officials promised to address the local officials’ concerns.  

In February 2024, the mayors conducted a high-level advocacy visit to Beninese officials — including national commissions on refugees, violent extremism and pastoralism, the Ministry of Development and Coordination of Government Action and the Ministry of the Interior and Public Security — as well as with the U.S. Ambassador to Benin and international officials from Expertise France and the Embassy of the Netherlands. The mayors highlighted the dangers facing their communities and advocated for actions to strengthen security and social cohesion. The officials expressed their commitment to addressing the mayors’ concerns. 

Local officials’ advocacy generates results 

The advocacy efforts led to clear improvements in infrastructure and communication. The Ministry of the Interior and Public Security initiated a project to establish 35 one-stop social protection centers, and the Materi municipality expedited the installation of its center. The mayors expressed gratitude, noting improved coordination and communication with departmental and national authorities, and acknowledged the positive impact on their communities. Karimama Mayor Isssifou said the visits led national authorities to accelerate the construction of the vital Guéné-Karimama road. 

Mayors said the contacts have improved communication with national ministries on critical security issues and potential solutions and that national institutions are more receptive to local officials’ information. Local officials said they now have a better understanding of the national strategy for preventing violent extremism and local security plans, and they are confident they will maintain good communication going forward.