China donates military equipment to Benin in latest bid to build ties in Africa
- Beninese army receives howitzers and their accessories to help it ‘better respond to operational challenges’ in fight against terrorism
China has donated equipment to the Beninese Armed Forces to help it fight terrorism, as Beijing steps up military cooperation with African nations.
Receiving the equipment, Brigadier General Fructueux Gbaguidi, chief of general staff of the Beninese Armed Forces, said the donation would strengthen the military’s arsenal and was “a strong symbol of the friendship that binds the Chinese and Beninese peoples”.
Benin’s military, which is fighting jihadists in the north of the country near the border with Burkina Faso and Niger, said in a statement that the equipment would “enable the units of the Beninese army to better respond to operational challenges on the ground in the fight against the terrorist threat”.
“This support from China is part of military cooperation between the two countries which is strengthening and diversifying every day,” it said.
The donation comes about a year after China donated four Norinco PMR-50 drones to Benin to help it improve its security, as the West African nation faces a growing threat of terrorism.
