Misrepresenting statistical data can drastically alter its meaning and public understanding. On March 31, 2026, during an audio segment titled “Dix ans sans bilan, partie 4,” released by the online platform Be Africa, prominent Beninese opposition figure Martin Rodriguez, currently in exile, asserted that in Benin, “more than 45% of children under 5 die from malnutrition.”
To substantiate his bold claim, Rodriguez indicated that his figures originated from the United Nations. He urged listeners to verify his statement, saying, “I have read a United Nations report, two reports. One concerns child mortality. It’s on the internet; everyone listening, type it into your phone, go to Google.” He then presented his specific rate of child mortality linked to malnutrition.
Context of the claims
The broadcast by Be Africa, titled “Dix ans sans bilan, partie 4,” emerged amidst the intense electoral campaign preceding the presidential election scheduled for April 12, 2026. In discussions featured on Be Africa’s channels, Martin Rodriguez, a businessman and vocal Beninese opposition leader living abroad, delivered a scathing critique of Patrice Talon’s government over the past decade in Benin. “We have seen an increase in poverty; poverty has grown,” he declared before introducing his statistic on child mortality. These allegations were initially part of a longer debate published two days earlier on Be Africa’s YouTube channel before appearing on Facebook.
Despite the reference to the United Nations, the assertion that “more than 45% of children under 5 die from malnutrition” in Benin is factually incorrect.
What online research reveals
Following Martin Rodriguez’s recommendation, an initial search was conducted using keywords such as “malnutrition, mortality, children, 5 years, Benin” on Google. A subsequent search specifically targeted his claim: “more than 45% of children under 5 die from malnutrition.”
Both searches consistently led to an advocacy brief published on the UNICEF-Benin website, titled “Malnutrition: A risk factor for mortality and morbidity in children.”
The statistics presented in this UNICEF publication, dated April 30, 2020, differ significantly from those put forth by the Beninese opposition leader. The document clearly states that “Malnutrition constitutes the greatest risk factor for mortality and morbidity among young children in Benin” and that “it accounts for 45 percent of all annual child deaths among children under 5.” This specific UNICEF statistic was also referenced in an article on the specialized health website Allo Docteurs, published on November 18, 2024, and updated on June 25, 2025, which reported that “chronic malnutrition is responsible for 45% of deaths of children under 5 each year.”
UNICEF Benin refutes Rodriguez’s statement and clarifies data
As part of the verification process, UNICEF’s representation in Benin was contacted. In an email received on Tuesday, March 31, 2026, UNICEF Benin unequivocally rejected the data attributed to it regarding Rodriguez’s assertion.
Addressing the claim: “More than 45% of children under 5 die from malnutrition” in Benin, Dorothée Thiénot, UNICEF-Benin’s Head of Communication, firmly stated, “Phrased this way, this sentence is false and does not correspond to how United Nations agencies, including UNICEF, present data.”
Beyond the fact that the statement does not align with the reality of UN statistics for Benin, Dorothée Thiénot highlighted a crucial distinction: “We are talking about the proportion of deaths of children under 5 where malnutrition is an underlying or aggravating factor, and not the proportion of all children who die from malnutrition.”
Dorothée Thiénot was also asked about the 2020 UNICEF Benin advocacy brief, which indicated that “malnutrition constitutes the greatest risk factor for mortality and morbidity among young children in Benin” and that “it accounts for 45 percent of all annual child deaths among children under 5.”
On this point, Thiénot explained, “This formulation was based on estimates available at the time, largely aligned with international analyses that attribute approximately 45% of global deaths of children under 5 to undernutrition.”
In any case, the Head of Communication for UNICEF Benin emphasized, “it is not about saying that ‘45% of children die’” due to malnutrition before the age of 5 in Benin. “This is an erroneous interpretation,” Dorothée Thiénot reiterated.
Regarding the current reality of child mortality in Benin, Thiénot clarified that “available data are not presented in the form of a ‘mortality rate specific to malnutrition’ for Benin, but rather as: an under-5 mortality rate (number of deaths per 1,000 live births).”
