The Benin Uprising of 1989 was a series of strikes and riots by workers and students in Socialist Benin in 1989 and 1990 against the authoritarian government, poor living conditions and desire for a new society.
Background
Benin had been a Marxist-Leninist state since 1974, and throughout the 1980s the economy was failing and implemented neoliberal reforms suggested by the IMF. In the midst of a massive economic crisis, loss of social support and rising cost of living.
Events
One of these IMF reforms was to end student scholarships, which began a strike which soldiers were sent to disperse and arrested some. Soon, school teachers and several civil servants began to strike over unpaid wages, also employing go-slows. Students went on indefinite strike and the government argued to fire all these strikers. Soon, students began battling police (throwing stones and chairs), looting government buildings and burning pictures of the president. The government announced increased militarisation of the country and the sacking of all striking civil servants, being replaced with younger university graduates.
Teachers left and later rejoined the strike after a 50% cut in wages and demanded the release of arrested strikers. Soon the government began to pay the teachers but refused to pay their stolen wages. The government closed all schools for the year to destroy the strikes. However, it soon began to cave further into releasing all political prisoners but also cancelling the next year of school. After an announcement for democratisation and transition to capitalism, 40,000 people protested against the government, attempting to burn down a statue of Lenin, they killed several police (who also killed protesters). In several towns, citizens attempted to replace mayors with their own elected officials. Police arrested at least one of these citizen-elected mayors.
Results
At the beginning of 1991 the transition government held successful liberal democratic elections. Although the university held a separate strike for educational changes several months after the end of their year long strike, they appeared to have received most of their initial economic goals. It is also not clear how much of the salary arrears were eventually paid to teachers and civil servants.
References
Global Nonviolent Action Database - https://libcom.org/history/1989-90-beninese-campaign-economic-justice-democracy