Benin: Death of Zakaria Yarou Kpinro, the mayor’s first deputy of Pèrèrè

The Beninese political world is in mourning. Zakaria Yarou Kpinro, the first deputy mayor of the commune of Pèrèrè in the Borgou Department, died on Saturday, January 24, 2026, after a brief illness.

The announcement was made public this Sunday by his party, the Union Progressiste le Renouveau (UP-R).
The deceased was the UP-R’s candidate for the 2026 municipal elections in the Guinagourou arrondissement. His passing comes in a particular political context, as the results of the municipal vote are still awaited by the Autonomous National Electoral Commission (CENA).

In a statement signed on Sunday, January 25, 2026 by the party’s secretary-general, Gérard Gbénonchi, the UP-R’s High Political Leadership expresses its “deep sorrow” over this loss.

The party hails the memory of an “exemplary leader” and extends its condolences to the family of the deceased, to the UP-R section of Pèrèrè, to the militants of Guinagourou, and to all of its fellow politicians.

“The party’s High Political Leadership respectfully pays homage to the memory of the deceased and expresses its fraternal solidarity with all his loved ones,” the statement says.

The funeral of Zakaria Yarou Kpinro took place in the morning of Sunday, January 25, in his native village of Gounkparè, located in the Guinagourou arrondissement.