Tournée septentrionale du Président de la République, Son Excellence Patrice Talon

The Head of State began a tour of the northern region of our country on Friday, November 11, 2016. This 48-hour tour took him to Parakou, Sèmèrè, and Djougou. In Parakou, he was greeted at the city entrance by a huge crowd who had spontaneously gathered to welcome him to the city of the Kobourou people. He then went to the city hall where he was received by Mayor Charles Toko, municipal authorities, and other members of parliament from the city. He then listened to the mayor and the prefect of the department before addressing all the elected political, community, religious, and administrative officials of the city on the current and future actions of his government. The Head of State reaffirmed to everyone his commitment and that of his government to meet, with the support of all Beninese, the challenges facing our country. Following this initial visit, the Head of State traveled to the towns of Djougou and Sèmèrè on Saturday, November 12, 2016, where he was awaited by the local populations. In Djougou, he was welcomed by Minister of State Abdoulaye Bio Tchané, accompanied by political and administrative authorities and the townspeople. He then went to Sèmèrè to personally ensure the return of calm to the town, which had experienced deadly clashes a few weeks earlier that resulted in the deaths of five people and left ten injured due to conflicts related to the imamate. In the main public square of Sèmèrè, he attended a prayer for peace and fraternity led by the city's religious authorities. He then addressed the large crowd gathered to hear his message of reconciliation, speaking in his capacity as mediator in the imamate conflict and as the highest citizen of Benin. He further urged everyone to respect the authority of the city's new imam and to preserve peace for the well-being of the population. The Head of State then returned to the Saint Ambrose Center in Djougou, where he held a working session with authorities and representatives from all segments of the population. He listened successively to the mayor of Djougou, the Prefect of the Donga department, the youth representative of the department, the women's representative of the department, and the Honorable Wallis Zoumarou, a distinguished son of the region, before addressing the people to thank them for the warm welcome he received and to present and explain the key areas through which he and his government intend to develop the country. The President reiterated the immense task facing all the people of Benin in rebuilding the nation and reaffirmed his willingness and commitment to activate the mechanisms necessary to promote development in all regions of the country. The President of the Republic, His Excellency Patrice Talon, returned to Cotonou late in the evening of Saturday, November 12, 2016, thus concluding his first northern tour since his election as head of state last March.