Map of Benin | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide198919901991199219931994199519961997199819992000200120022003200420052006200720082009201020112012201320142015201620172018201920202021202220232024 | More stats

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Background:


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Location: Western Africa, bordering the Bight of Benin, between Nigeria and Togo

Geographic coordinates: 9 30 N, 2 15 E

Map reference: Africa

Area
Total: 112,622 km²
Land: 110,622 km²
Water: 2,000 km²
Comparative: slightly smaller than Pennsylvania

Land boundaries
Total: 2,123 km
Border countries: (4) Burkina Faso 386 km; Niger 277 km; Nigeria 809 km; Togo 651 km

Coastline: 121 km

Maritime claims
Territorial sea: 200 nm; note: the US does not recognize this claim
Continental shelf: 200 nm
Exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm

Climate: tropical; hot, humid in south; semiarid in north

Terrain: mostly flat to undulating plain; some hills and low mountains

Elevation
Highest point: unnamed elevation 675 m; located 2.5 km southeast of the town of Kotopounga
Lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
Mean elevation: 273 m

Natural resources: small offshore oil deposits, limestone, marble, timber

Land use
Agricultural land: 31.3% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land arable land: 22.9% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land permanent crops: 3.5% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land permanent pasture: 4.9% (2018 est.)
Forest: 40% (2018 est.)
Other: 28.7% (2018 est.)

Irrigated land: 172 km² (2017)

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²: Atlantic Ocean drainage: Niger (2,261,741 km²), Volta (410,991 km²)

Total water withdrawal
Municipal: 150 million cubic meters (2020 est.)
Industrial: 30 million cubic meters (2020 est.)
Agricultural: 60 million cubic meters (2020 est.)

Total renewable water resources: 26.39 billion cubic meters (2020 est.)

Natural hazards: hot, dry, dusty harmattan wind may affect north from December to March

Geography
Note: sandbanks create difficult access to a coast with no natural harbors, river mouths, or islands


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Population
Distribution: the population is primarily located in the south, with the highest concentration of people residing in and around the cities on the Atlantic coast; most of the north remains sparsely populated with higher concentrations of residents in the west as shown in this: 14,219,908 (2023 est.)
Growth rate: 3.31% (2023 est.)
Below poverty line: 38.5% (2019 est.)

Nationality
Noun: Beninese (singular and plural)
Adjective: Beninese

Ethnic groups: Fon and related 38.4%, Adja and related 15.1%, Yoruba and related 12%, Bariba and related 9.6%, Fulani and related 8.6%, Ottamari and related 6.1%, Yoa-Lokpa and related 4.3%, Dendi and related 2.9%, other 0.9%, foreigner 1.9% (2013 est.)

Languages: 55 languages; French (official); Fon (a Gbe language), Yom (a Gur language) and Yoruba are the most important indigenous languages in the south; half a dozen regionally important languages in the north, including Bariba (once counted as a Gur language) and Fulfulde

Religions: Muslim 27.7%, Roman Catholic 25.5%, Protestant 13.5% (Celestial 6.7%, Methodist 3.4%, other Protestant 3.4%), Vodoun 11.6%, other Christian 9.5%, other traditional religions 2.6%, other 2.6%, none 5.8% (2013 est.)

Demographic profile: Benin has a youthful age structure - almost 65% of the population is under the age of 25 as of 2022 - which is bolstered by high fertility and population growth rates. Benin’s total fertility has been falling over time but remains high, declining from almost 7 children per women in 1990 to 5.4 in 2022. Benin’s low contraceptive use and high unmet need for contraception contribute to the sustained high fertility rate. Although the majority of Beninese women use skilled health care personnel for antenatal care and delivery, the high rate of maternal mortality indicates the need for more access to high quality obstetric care.

Age structure
0-14 years: 45.37% (male 3,256,439/female 3,194,700)
15-64 years: 52.18% (male 3,595,897/female 3,823,786)
65 years and over: 2.45% (2023 est.) (male 159,363/female 189,723)

Dependency ratios
Total dependency ratio: 84
Youth dependency ratio: 78.3
Elderly dependency ratio: 5.7
Potential support ratio: 17.7 (2021 est.)

Median age
Total: 17.1 years (2023 est.)
Male: 16.6 years
Female: 17.7 years

Population growth rate: 3.31% (2023 est.)

Birth rate: 40.7 births/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Death rate: 7.8 deaths/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Net migration rate: 0.2 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Population distribution: the population is primarily located in the south, with the highest concentration of people residing in and around the cities on the Atlantic coast; most of the north remains sparsely populated with higher concentrations of residents in the west as shown in this

Urbanization
Urban population: 50.1% of total population (2023)
Rate of urbanization: 3.74% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

Major urban areas
Population: 285,000 PORTO-NOVO (capital) (2018); 1.253 million Abomey-Calavi, 722,000 COTONOU (seat of government) (2022)

Environment
Current issues: inadequate supplies of potable water; water pollution; poaching threatens wildlife populations; deforestation; desertification (the spread of the desert into agricultural lands in the north is accelerated by regular droughts)
International agreements party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping-London Convention, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 2006, Wetlands, Whaling
International agreements signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Air pollutants
Particulate matter emissions: 31.51 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)
Carbon dioxide emissions: 6.48 megatons (2016 est.)
Methane emissions: 5.8 megatons (2020 est.)

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
0-14 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.94 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.84 male(s)/female
Total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2023 est.)

Mothers mean age at first birth: 20.5 years (2017/18 est.)
Note: data represents median age at first birth among women 25-49

Maternal mortality ratio: 523 deaths/100,000 live births (2020 est.)

Infant mortality rate
Total: 54.3 deaths/1,000 live births (2023 est.)
Male: 59.3 deaths/1,000 live births
Female: 49.1 deaths/1,000 live births

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 62.6 years (2023 est.)
Male: 60.8 years
Female: 64.6 years

Total fertility rate: 5.39 children born/woman (2023 est.)

Contraceptive prevalence rate: 15.5% (2017/18)

Drinking water source
Improved urban: 79% of population
Improved rural: 70.8% of population
Improved total: 74.7% of population
Unimproved urban: 21% of population
Unimproved rural: 29.2% of population
Unimproved total: 25.3% of population (2020 est.)

Current health expenditure: 2.6% of GDP (2020)

Physicians density: 0.07 physicians/1,000 population (2019)

Hospital bed density: 0.5 beds/1,000 population

Sanitation facility access
Improved urban:
Unimproved urban:

Hiv/Aids

Major infectious diseases
Degree of risk: very high (2023)
Food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
Vectorborne diseases: dengue fever and malaria
Animal contact diseases: rabies
Respiratory diseases: meningococcal meningitis
Note: on 31 August 2023, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a Travel Alert for polio in Africa; Benin is currently considered a high risk to travelers for circulating vaccine-derived polioviruses (cVDPV); vaccine-derived poliovirus (VDPV) is a strain of the weakened poliovirus that was initially included in oral polio vaccine (OPV) and that has changed over time and behaves more like the wild or naturally occurring virus; this means it can be spread more easily to people who are unvaccinated against polio and who come in contact with the stool or respiratory secretions, such as from a sneeze, of an “infected” person who received oral polio vaccine; the CDC recommends that before any international travel, anyone unvaccinated, incompletely vaccinated, or with an unknown polio vaccination status should complete the routine polio vaccine series; before travel to any high-risk destination, the CDC recommends that adults who previously completed the full, routine polio vaccine series receive a single, lifetime booster dose of polio vaccine

Obesity adult prevalence rate: 9.6% (2016)

Alcohol consumption
Per capita total: 1.25 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Per capita beer: 0.81 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Per capita wine: 0.02 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Per capita spirits: 0.2 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Per capita other alcohols: 0.22 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

Tobacco use
Total: 6.9% (2020 est.)
Male: 11.8% (2020 est.)
Female: 1.9% (2020 est.)

Children under the age of 5 years underweight: 16.8% (2017/18)

Education expenditures: 3% of GDP (2020 est.)

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 45.8%
Male: 56.9%
Female: 35% (2021)

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education
Total: 11 years
Male: 12 years
Female: 10 years (2020)

Youth unemployment
Rate ages 15 24 total: 3.9% (2021 est.)
Rate ages 15 24 male: 3.1%
Rate ages 15 24 female: 4.6%


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Country name
Conventional long form: Republic of Benin
Conventional short form: Benin
Local long form: Republique du Benin
Local short form: Benin
Former: Dahomey, People's Republic of Benin
Etymology: named for the Bight of Benin, the body of water on which the country lies

Government type: presidential republic

Capital
Name: Porto-Novo (constitutional capital); Cotonou (seat of government)
Geographic coordinates: 6 29 N, 2 37 E
Time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
Etymology: the name Porto-Novo is Portuguese for "new port"; Cotonou means "by the river of death" in the native Fon language

Administrative divisions: 12 departments; Alibori, Atacora, Atlantique, Borgou, Collines, Couffo, Donga, Littoral, Mono, Oueme, Plateau, Zou

Dependent areas

Independence: 1 August 1960 (from France)

National holiday: Independence Day, 1 August (1960)

Constitution
History: previous 1946, 1958 (preindependence); latest adopted by referendum 2 December 1990, promulgated 11 December 1990
Amendments: proposed concurrently by the president of the republic (after a decision in the Council of Ministers) and the National Assembly; consideration of drafts or proposals requires at least three-fourths majority vote of the Assembly membership; passage requires approval in a referendum unless approved by at least four-fifths majority vote of the Assembly membership; constitutional articles affecting territorial sovereignty, the republican form of government, and secularity of Benin cannot be amended; amended 2019

Legal system: civil law system modeled largely on the French system and some customary law

International law organization participation: has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

Citizenship
Citizenship by birth: no
Citizenship by descent only: at least one parent must be a citizen of Benin
Dual citizenship recognized: yes
Residency requirement for naturalization: 10 years

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch
Chief of state: President Patrice TALON (since 6 April 2016); note - the president is both head of state and head of government
Head of government: President Patrice TALON (since 6 April 2016); prime minister position abolished
Cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president
Elections/appointments: president directly elected by absolute majority popular vote in 2 rounds if needed for a 5-year term (eligible for a second term); last held on 11 April 2021 (next to be held on 12 April 2,026)
Election results:

Legislative branch
Description: unicameral National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale (109 seats, including 24 seats reserved for women; members directly elected in multi-seat constituencies by party-list proportional representation vote; members serve 5-year terms except for the current members whose terms will end in 2,026 to facilitate general elections)
Elections: last held on 8 January 2023 (next to be held on 11 January 2,027)
Election results: percent of vote by party - Progressive Union for Renewal 37.6%, Bloc Republicain 29.2%, The Democrats 24%; seats by party - Progressive Union for Renewal 53, Bloc Republicain 28, The Democrats 28; composition as of May 2023 - men 80, women 29, percent of women 26.6%

Judicial branch
Highest courts: Supreme Court or Cour Supreme (consists of the chief justice and 16 justices organized into an administrative division, judicial chamber, and chamber of accounts); Constitutional Court or Cour Constitutionnelle (consists of 7 members, including the court president); High Court of Justice (consists of the Constitutional Court members, 6 members appointed by the National Assembly, and the Supreme Court president); note - jurisdiction of the High Court of Justice is limited to cases of high treason by the national president or members of the government while in office
Judge selection and term of office: Supreme Court president and judges appointed by the president of the republic upon the advice of the National Assembly; judges appointed for single renewable 5-year terms; Constitutional Court members - 4 appointed by the National Assembly and 3 by the president of the republic; members appointed for single renewable 5-year terms; other members of the High Court of Justice elected by the National Assembly; member tenure NA
Subordinate courts: Court of Appeal or Cour d'Appel; district courts; village courts; Assize courts

Political parties and leaders:
Note: approximately 20 additional minor parties

International organization participation: ACP, AfDB, AU, CD, ECOWAS, Entente, FAO, FZ, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), MIGA, MNJTF, MONUSCO, NAM, OAS (observer), OIC, OIF, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNAMID, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNHRC, UNIDO, UNISFA, UNMIL, UNMISS, UNOCI, UNOOSA, UNWTO, UPU, WADB (regional), WAEMU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Jean-Claude Felix DO REGO (since 17 July 2020)
In the us chancery: 2,124 Kalorama Road NW, Washington, DC 20,008
In the us telephone: [1] (202) 232-6,656; [1] (202) 232-2,611
In the us FAX: [1] (202) 265-1996
In the us email address and website:
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador Brian SHUKAN (since 5 May 2022)
From the us embassy: 01 BP 2012, Cotonou
From the us mailing address: 2,120 Cotonou Place, Washington DC 20,521-2,120

Flag description: two equal horizontal bands of yellow (top) and red (bottom) with a vertical green band on the hoist side; green symbolizes hope and revival, yellow wealth, and red courage
Note: uses the popular Pan-African colors of Ethiopia

National symbols: leopard; national colors: green, yellow, red

National anthem
Name: "L'Aube Nouvelle" (The Dawn of a New Day)
Lyrics/music: Gilbert Jean DAGNON
Note: adopted 1960

National heritage
Total World Heritage Sites: 2 (1 cultural, 1 natural)
Selected World Heritage Site locales:


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Economy overview: robust economic growth; slightly declining but still widespread poverty; strong trade relations with Nigeria; cotton exporter; COVID-19 has led to capital outflows and border closures; WAEMU member with currency pegged to the euro; recent fiscal deficit and debt reductions

Real gdp purchasing power parity:
Note: data are in 2017 dollars

Real gdp growth rate:

Real gdp per capita:
Note: data are in 2017 dollars

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use
Household consumption: 70.5% (2017 est.)
Government consumption: 13.1% (2017 est.)
Investment in fixed capital: 27.6% (2017 est.)
Investment in inventories: 0% (2017 est.)
Exports of goods and services: 31.6% (2017 est.)
Imports of goods and services: -43% (2017 est.)

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 26.1% (2017 est.)
Industry: 22.8% (2017 est.)
Services: 51.1% (2017 est.)

Agriculture products: cassava, yams, maize, cotton, oil palm fruit, rice, pineapples, tomatoes, vegetables, soybeans

Industries: textiles, food processing, construction materials, cement

Industrial production growth rate: 9.12% (2021 est.)

Labor force: 5.295 million (2021 est.)

Unemployment rate:

Youth unemployment
Rate ages 15 24 total: 3.9% (2021 est.)
Rate ages 15 24 male: 3.1%
Rate ages 15 24 female: 4.6%

Population below poverty line: 38.5% (2019 est.)

Gini index
Coefficient distribution of family income: 37.8 (2018 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest 10%: 3.1%
Highest 10%: 29% (2003)

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget
Revenues: $2.024 billion (2019 est.)
Expenditures: $2.101 billion (2019 est.)
Surplus  or deficit: -6.2% (of GDP) (2017 est.)

Taxes and other revenues: 17.1% (of GDP) (2017 est.)

Public debt:

Revenue
From forest resources: 2.24% of GDP (2018 est.)
From coal: 0% of GDP (2018 est.)

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices:

Central bank discount rate

Commercial bank prime lending rate

Stock of narrow money

Stock of broad money

Stock of domestic credit

Market value of publicly traded shares

Current account balance:

Exports:
Note: Data are in current year dollars and do not include illicit exports or re-exports.
Partners: Nigeria 25%, Bangladesh 14%, United Arab Emirates 14%, India 13%, China 8%, Vietnam 5% (2019)
Commodities: gold, cotton, cashews, refined petroleum, soybeans (2021)

Imports:
Partners: China 28%, Thailand 9%, India 8%, Togo 6%, United States 5% (2019)
Commodities: rice, cars, palm oil, electricity, cotton (2019)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:

Debt external:

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates:


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Electricity
Access population without electricity: 8 million (2020)
Access electrification-total population: 41.9% (2021)
Access electrification-urban areas: 66.9% (2021)
Access electrification-rural areas: 17.9% (2021)
Installed generating capacity: 475,000 kW (2020 est.)
Consumption: 524.08 million kWh (2020 est.)
Exports: 2 million kWh (2020 est.)
Imports: 646 million kWh (2020 est.)
Transmission/distribution losses: 346 million kWh (2020 est.)
Generation sources fossil fuels: 96.9% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources nuclear: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources solar: 3.1% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources wind: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources hydroelectricity: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources tide and wave: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources geothermal: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources biomass and waste: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)

Coal
Production: 0 metric tons (2020 est.)
Consumption: 78,000 metric tons (2020 est.)
Exports: 0 metric tons (2020 est.)
Imports: 78,000 metric tons (2020 est.)
Proven reserves: 0 metric tons (2019 est.)

Petroleum
Total petroleum production: 0 bbl/day (2021 est.)
Refined petroleum consumption: 46,300 bbl/day (2019 est.)
Crude oil and lease condensate exports: 0 bbl/day (2018 est.)
Crude oil and lease condensate imports: 0 bbl/day (2018 est.)
Crude oil estimated reserves: 8 million barrels (2021 est.)

Crude oil

Refined petroleum
Products production: 0 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Products exports: 1,514 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Products imports: 38,040 bbl/day (2015 est.)

Natural gas
Production: 0 cubic meters (2021 est.)
Consumption: 19.057 million cubic meters (2019 est.)
Exports: 0 cubic meters (2021 est.)
Imports: 19.057 million cubic meters (2019 est.)
Proven reserves: 1.133 billion cubic meters (2021 est.)

Carbon dioxide emissions: 6.903 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
From coal and metallurgical coke: 274,000 metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
From petroleum and other liquids: 6.592 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
From consumed natural gas: 37,000 metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)

Energy consumption per capita: 8.468 million Btu/person (2019 est.)


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Telephones
Fixed lines total subscriptions: 1,526 (2022 est.)
Fixed lines subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: (2021 est.) less than 1
Mobile cellular total subscriptions: 12,731,782 (2021 est.)
Mobile cellular subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 98 (2021 est.)

Telephone system

Broadcast media: state-run Office de Radiodiffusion et de Television du Benin (ORTB) operates a TV station providing a wide broadcast reach; several privately owned TV stations broadcast from Cotonou; satellite TV subscription service is available; state-owned radio, under ORTB control, includes a national station supplemented by a number of regional stations; substantial number of privately owned radio broadcast stations; transmissions of a few international broadcasters are available on FM in Cotonou (2019)

Internet
Country code: .bj
Users total: 4.42 million (2021 est.)
Users percent of population: 34% (2021 est.)

Broadband fixed subscriptions
Total: 29,981 (2020 est.)
Subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 0.3 (2020 est.)


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Military expenditures:

Military and security forces:
Note: FAB is under the Ministry of Defense and is responsible for external security and supporting the DGPR in maintaining internal security, which has primary responsibility for enforcing law and maintaining order; the DGPR was formed in 2018 through a merger of police and gendarmes

Military service age and obligation: 18-35 years of age for voluntary and selective compulsory military service for men and women; a higher education diploma is required; conscript service is 18 months (2023)

Space program

Terrorist groups
Terrorist groups: al-Qa’ida (Jama’at Nusrat al Islam wal Muslimeen); Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (ISIS-GS); Boko Haram
Note: details about the history, aims, leadership, organization, areas of operation, tactics, targets, weapons, size, and sources of support of the group(s) appear(s) in terrorist organizations


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National air transport system
Number of registered air carriers: 1 (2015)
Inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 1 (2015)
Annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers: 112,392 (2015)
Annual freight traffic on registered air carriers: 805,347 (2015) mt-km

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix: TY

Airports: 6 (2021)
With paved runways: 1
With paved runways note: paved runways have a concrete or asphalt surface but not all have facilities for refueling, maintenance, or air traffic control; the length of a runway required for aircraft to safely operate depends on a number of factors including the type of aircraft, the takeoff weight (including passengers, cargo, and fuel), engine types, flap settings, landing speed, elevation of the airport, and average maximum daily air temperature; paved runways can reach a length of 5,000 m (16,000 ft.), but the “typical” length of a commercial airline runway is between 2,500-4,000 m (8,000-13,000 ft.)
With unpaved runways: 5
With unpaved runways note: unpaved runways have a surface composition such as grass or packed earth and are most suited to the operation of light aircraft; unpaved runways are usually short, often less than 1,000 m (3,280 ft.) in length; airports with unpaved runways often lack facilities for refueling, maintenance, or air traffic control

Heliports

Pipelines: 134 km gas

Railways
Total: 438 km (2014)
Narrow gauge: 438 km (2014) 1.000-m gauge

Roadways
Total: 16,000 km (2006)
Paved: 1,400 km (2006)
Unpaved: 14,600 km (2006)

Waterways: 150 km (2011) (seasonal navigation on River Niger along northern border)

Merchant marine
Total: 7 (2022)
By type: other 7

Ports and terminals
Major seaports: Cotonou
Lng terminals import: Cotonou


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Disputes international:

Refugees and internally displaced persons

Illicit drugs: a significant transit and departure country for cocaine shipments in Africa destined for Europe