Taking the border town of Malanville as a case study, Kamal Donko examines the linkages between shadow economies and networks of violent actors and how people navigate this environment. Northern Benin is marked by persistent socio-economic precarity, limited state presence, and rising insecurity. The study highlights the processes through which illicit activities have become vital survival strategies for a significant portion of the population. However, beyond their economic function, these activities also serve as critical support systems for terrorist groups, which rely on informal circuits for funding, supplies, and to establish local alliances. Intertwining survival economies and criminal networks blur the boundaries between community actors and violent groups, between licit and illicit practices. This research highlights how insecurity, underground economies, and local governance intersect, emphasizing the need for public policies grounded in the lived realities of borderland communities.

Kamal Donko is a political geographer and researcher at LASDEL Parakou (Laboratoire d’Études et de Recherche sur les Dynamiques Sociales et le Développement Local) in Benin.