Spanish military personnel provide training to the Armed Forces of Benin within the framework of European cooperation with West Africa

•  The Canary Islands Command is training Beninese military personnel in electronic warfare and signals intelligence

A Mobile Training Team (MTT), composed of personnel from the Canary Islands Command (MCANA) of the Spanish Army, is delivering a training course on Electronic Warfare and Signals Intelligence (EW–SIGINT) to 18 members of a variety of units of the Armed Forces of Benin.  This cooperation activity is being conducted within the framework of the European Union’s Security and Defence Initiative in support of West African countries in the Gulf of Guinea region (EU SDI GoG).

On this occasion, the objective is to train Beninese military personnel to develop the capability to interpret, analyse, and assess data derived from electromagnetic emissions, enabling its subsequent operational use by the Beninese Armed Forces. The three-week course is being held at the facilities of the Military Intelligence Directorate (DRM) in the Beninese city of Cotonou.

In addition to the theoretical and practical instruction in EW–SIGINT, the programme includes exercises using communication equipment currently in service with the local Armed Forces. The aim is to identify emissions from own forces and to assess and mitigate associated vulnerabilities.

For the Spanish personnel, these training sessions represent an excellent opportunity to share their expertise with their Beninese counterparts, whom they commend for their cordiality and eagerness to learn. Through their dedication and professionalism, both contingents reaffirm their commitment to strengthening security in the Gulf of Guinea—an area of strategic importance for Spain and Europe.

Spanish Participation in the European Union’s Security and Defence Initiative

Common Foreign and Security Policy (PESC,in Spanish) Decision 2023/1599 established the EU Security and Defence Initiative in the Gulf of Guinea (EU SDI GoG), whose primary objective is to enhance the training of the security and defence forces of Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Togo, and Benin, enabling them to independently strengthen the stability and resilience of their northern border regions, particularly facing the threat posed by jihadist terrorism.

Within this framework, in June 2024, Benin formally requested a series of support measures from the European Union to benefit its Armed Forces. Among the various proposed support activities, Spain committed to launching training courses in several security and defence domains. Since then, multiple training programmes have been delivered in the country, including courses on countering improvised explosive devices and on the maintenance of equipment. To date, all Spanish instructors deployed to Benin have come from the Canary Islands Command (MCANA, in Spanish).

The Gulf of Guinea is a region of strategic interest for the European Union, and particularly for Spain, which shares a common agenda in the area with other European nations, such as France, Belgium, and Portugal. Through its involvement in this initiative, Spain reaffirms its commitment to the stability, security, and development of this African region.