VZCZCXRO9181
PP RUEHMA RUEHPA
DE RUEHCO #0657/01 2940604
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 200604Z OCT 08
FM AMEMBASSY COTONOU
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 0596
INFO RUEHZK/ECOWAS COLLECTIVE
RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS 1333
RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON 0382

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 COTONOU 000657 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR AF/W ACOOK 
LONDON FOR PETER LORD 
PARIS FOR BKANEDA 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PREL BN
SUBJECT: BENIN: DRAFT DESIGNATION OF NEW PROVINCIAL CAPITALS SPARKS 
PROTESTS. 
 
¶1. (U) SUMMARY: The Minister of Decentralization and Local 
Communities, Issa Demole Moko,publicized a government plan to 
designate capital cities for six provinces that were formerly 
administered out of neighboring provincial capitals. The proposed 
arrangement reflected proposals put forward by a technical committee 
set up by the Ministry of Decentralization.  In order to calm 
protests in the targeted provinces, the GOB declared that the 
publicized decision constituted a draft and warranted further study. 
 The GOB stated that the 1999 legislation governing the 
administrative and territorial organization of Benin would be 
amended in order to satisfy the population's concerns. END SUMMARY. 
 
2 (U) On October 6, the Minister of Decentralization and Local 
Communities announced on TV the selection of administrative capitals 
for six provinces which are currently administered out of the 
capitals of their immediate neighbors. The decision resulted from an 
assessment produced by a technical committee at the Ministry of 
Decentralization. The plan proposed administrative capitals for the 
provinces of Atlantique, Plateau and Couffo in southern Benin, the 
province of Collines in central Benin and the provinces of Donga and 
Alibori in the north. The city of Ouidah was selected as the capital 
of the province of Atlantique, the city of Aplahou for the province 
of Couffo, the city of Pobh for the province of Plateau, the city of 
Savalou for the province of Colline, the city of Djougou for the 
province of Donga and the city of Kandi for the province of Alibori. 
Demole Moko stated that the choice of these six capital cities was 
based on well-defined criteria provided by a 1999 law, the Act No 
97-028 relating to the organization of the territorial 
administration in the Republic of Benin. These criteria included the 
size of the population of provinces, their economic resources, the 
administrative and infrastructural facilities they possess, their 
geographical location and their historical traditions. Former 
president Kekerou's first government (1996-2001) initiated Act No 
97-028 as part of the administrative reforms necessary for a smooth 
implementation of the decentralization and de-concentration policies 
that Benin embraced since 1999. According to Demole Moko, his 
ministry's plan seeks to conform to Act No 97-028. 
 
3 (U) The announcement sparked protests in some of the six 
provinces. While in the northern provinces of Alibori and Donga, the 
population appeared to approve the new arrangement, the populations 
of the provinces of Atlantique, Couffo, Plateau and Zou expressed 
strong discontent during protest marches and in vitriolic 
declarations against the government. Protestors claim that the 
Ministry's proposal is not based on sound criteria but reflects 
regional bias and ethnic gerrymandering. A case in point, in the 
province of Collines, dominated by the Nago ethnic group, Savalou, a 
city inhabited by the minority Mahi ethnic group was selected to be 
the capital city for that province. 
 
4 (SBU) In a TV broadcast On October 10, Demole Moko renounced the 
decision, acknowledging that the Technical Committee had failed to 
take into account a number of aspects pertaining to sociological 
factors in the designation of the 6 capital cities. He stated that 
the Council of Ministers had asked him to conduct another survey in 
order to draft a proposal that would meet popular approval in the 
six provinces. On October 16, President Yayi installed a committee 
tasked with writing a bill for a new administrative division plan on 
a one-month deadline. The new draft will subsequently be submitted 
to the National Assembly for consideratin and adoption. Thus, Act 
No 97-028 related to te organization of the territorial 
administrationin the Republic of Benin appears to be obsolete and 
slated to be adjusted to the current economic and sociological 
situation. 
 
5 (U) In 1999, former President Kerekou's government issued Act No 
97-028 to turn into twelve the six initial provinces inherited from 
colonial rule. Each of the initial six provinces had its capital 
city.  Assignment of capitals to the 6 newly created provinces is 
still pending. The twelve provinces are currently governed by 6 
"prefets" (prefects, high ranking civil servant who represent the 
State at the level of a province) based in the six original 
provinces, Mono, Littoral, Oueme, Zou, Borgou, and Atacora.  In 
order to seat "prefets" in the 6 newly created provinces, the GOB 
must select cities to serve as capitals.  However, neither President 
Kerekou nor his successor, President Soglo, fully implemented Act No 
97-028.  Then as now, the designation as presented in Act No 97-128 
bore great political risk. 
 
(SBU) COMMENT: Initially, the public hailed the Yayi 
administration's decision to tackle this issue as a sign of the 
GOB's commitment to a better administration policy that would bring 
central government closer to the 6 provinces. However, given the 
tense political situation prevailing in the country, commentators 
question the advisability of announcing the designation of capitals 
at this point. The issue is a political "hot potato", and as such is 
 
COTONOU 00000657  002 OF 002 
 
 
rife to be exploited by President Yayi's political opponents to 
foment protests.  The Minister of Decentralization's announcement 
may have been made to gauge popular response to the decision. As 
such it was a tactical error which opened the GOB to criticism by 
the opposition for a perceived lack of coordination and cohesion 
within the administration when the announcement had to be revoked. 
END COMMENT. 
 
BOUSTANI