Between Benin and Niger, tension is rising again with a decision by the Beninese authorities to block the shipment of crude oil from Niger from the port of Sèmè Podji.
How far will Benin and Niger go in the standoff that has pitted them against each other since the coup of July 26, 2023? According to information from Radio France Internationalethe Beninese government has decided to prohibit access to its waters to boats carrying crude oil transported from Niger by pipeline.
The decision sounds like a retaliatory measure from the Beninese side against Niger. Indeed, the border closure decided by ECOWAS after last year’s coup, although lifted, is not yet effective on the Niger side.
Tight relationships
Nigerien intransigence is due to a distrust of Benin in the wake of the coup d’état against President Mohamed Bazoum. Benin supported all the measures decided by ECOWAS, including the threat of military intervention to restore the deposed president. It is in this tense context that the Nigerien junta, claiming an unconfirmed presence of foreign arsenals and war personnel, unilaterally denounced the military cooperation agreement on September 12, 2023 Who has linked the two neighbors in the fight against terrorism for less than two years.
As the situation evolves according to the direction of ECOWAS, Benin has nevertheless revised its position, by authorizing, for example, the importation of goods destined for Niger via the port of Cotonou and subsequently opening its border with the northern neighbor, from February 28, 2024.
Agreement for the transport of crude oil
If Niger maintains the blockade, it has nevertheless taken some actions in the wake of the normal application of its bilateral agreement with Benin for the transport of its crude oil by pipeline. At the beginning of March, a delegation from Nigerien customs had thus carried out a mission to Benin to agree with the Beninese party on the fiscal aspects of the partnership. However, the official launch of the export of crude oil via the Sèmè Podji oil platform did not take place despite the media announcement of thearrival of the first drops of black gold on April 21 last at the terminal station of the pipeline of almost 2000 km including more than 600km on Beninese territory. This would also be another hypothesis justifying the decision of the Beninese authorities to block the export of Nigerien oil.
Read also: Mohamed Bazoum to Patrice Talon: “the oil of Niger is the oil of Benin”
