The United Democratic Forces (French: Forces Démocratiques Unies, FDU) is a political alliance in Benin led by Mathurin Nago.
In response to president Yayi Boni's potential constitution change to allow him to run for a third term, Nago left the Cowry Forces for an Emerging Benin. The FDU was established on 9 February 2015 as an alliance of the Union for Progress and Democracy, Impulse for a New Vision of the Republic, the Party for Progress and Democracy and the Party for Democracy and Solidarity,[1] all of which had previously been part of the Cowry Forces for an Emerging Benin.[2]
The alliance won four seats in the 2015 parliamentary elections.[3] The FDU is known for advocating for democratic reform and human rights in Benin. In recent years, thr FDU had faced challanges related to political repression and restrictions on opposition parties, as noted in the 2022 human rights report. These challenges have included limitations on political freedoms, including the arrest of opposition figures and restrictions on media freedoms. [4]