A few days ago, Patrice Talon imposed a blockade on Niger’s oil in response to the ruling military’s decision to keep their borders closed with Benin.
This news which has gone around the world has sparked numerous comments on the web. In this matter, Patrice Talon has just made a spectacular turnaround.
After discussing on the morning of Wednesday May 15, 2024 with a Chinese delegation, Patrice Talon decided to lift the imposed blockade.
The decision was made public during a lively press conference at the premises of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Jointly hosted by the Minister of Energy and Mines Samou Adambi and a representative of the Chinese side, this meeting with the media made it possible to formalize the decision of the Beninese government to lift the blockade on the shipment of Nigerien oil .
In addition to lifting the blockade, the President of Benin, Patrice Talon, made a big promise to Niger and China.
The Beninese president has, in fact, made a commitment to respect all his commitments within the framework of the project.
This announcement will undoubtedly please the authorities of Niger who, many observers hope, will ease the tense relations between the two countries.
As a reminder of the facts, the Beninese Head of State had justified his decision to prohibit the shipment of Nigerien oil from the Sèmè-Podji platform by the refusal of the Nigerien junta to discuss.
Indeed, Patrice Talon first mentioned all the steps he took to normalize relations between the two sister countries, Benin and Niger. The Beninese number 1 indicated that despite the opening of the borders on the Benin side, the sending of messages and above all, the sending of the head of Beninese diplomacy Olushegun Bakari to Niamey, he received no response from the authorities of the Nigerien transition.
Moreover, complaining all the same about the current state of relations between his country and Niger, Patrice Talon, thinks that the “exchanges between countries must be done in a formal and structured manner,“ according to RFI. He recalls that it was the Chinese who kept him informed of the official arrival of the Nigerien delegation for the inauguration of the pipeline, reports our colleague Jean-Luc Aplogan, RFI correspondent in Cotonou.
On the question of the importation of cereals from Benin to Niger, “we cannot be seen as enemies and want our collaboration and our means”indicated Patrice Talon.
“I am saddened by the tense relations between Niger and Benin, two friendly and brotherly countries,” regretted the Beninese Head of State. “Taking Benin as an enemy country and spreading the fact that it has massed foreign troops on its borders to attack Niger is totally ridiculous”, he concluded on the subject.
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