On 17 March 2025, overnight, a mob threw stones at the police to prevent them from seizing goods from a tropical produce warehouse suspected of export fraud in Bouka (Kalale, Borgou). The mob burned a police vehicle, a 10-ton truck and 2 police motorcycles, set fire to the arrondissement office and ransacked the house of the arrondissement chief and the house of his deputy. Between 4 and 12 people were injured. A shopkeeper was shot dead by the police (it is unclear whether he was part of the mob). 1 policeman was also killed. It is not clear whether he was killed by his colleague's bullets or by bullets fired by an unidentified armed group from the nearby village of Bouca Gando when the police fled the mob.

Supply-chain Risk Briefing

1. Summary

Riots broke out on March 17 in Bouca, Kalale region, Borgou Department, Benin during a tropical agricultural warehouse raid. When police attempted to seize goods over export fraud suspicions, residents resisted by burning police vehicles and a 10-ton truck and attacking government buildings, resulting in 4-12 injuries and 1 death. While the current risk level is assessed as low, direct damage to agricultural distribution companies has been confirmed.

2. Supply-chain impact

• Tropical agricultural export disruptions: Temporary delays in Benin agricultural exports (cotton, cashew nuts, sesame, etc.) due to suspension of tropical agricultural warehouse operations in Bouca region
• Inland logistics network impact: Expected disruptions to inland transport and customs operations in Borgou Department due to loss of 10-ton cargo truck and destruction of government buildings
• Agricultural supply-chain credibility decline: Export fraud suspicions and violent incidents highlight compliance risks for Benin agricultural distribution companies
• Regional security instability: Destruction of police equipment raises concerns about logistics security in similar regions going forward

3. Watch points

• Follow-up crackdowns and social backlash: Possibility of sympathetic riots in other regions if Benin government intensifies crackdowns on agricultural export companies
• Borgou Department logistics recovery situation: Timeline for normalizing destroyed transport infrastructure and administrative functions, and status of alternative route operations