(Ecofin Agency) - As of today January 16, 2018, many sectors in Benin among which, the education and the public administration sectors will be on strike for 72 hours. 

Announced earlier this year, this strike is in protest to the decision of the national assembly on December 28, 2017, to remove the right to strike from civil servants in the sectors of justice, health and security. 

This could be the first major social protest against the government of Patrice Talon. Indeed, since he has been elected as a god-sent on April 6, 2016, his government has enacted some draconian measures which made him less and less popular with part of the population. However, so-far, social protests were timid or rather inexistent.