Benin Seeks Trade Normalization: Appeals to Niger for Collaboration

Benin’s President, Patrice Talon, has urged Niger’s military rulers to cooperate and reopen their side of the border to facilitate oil exports through his country. Following sanctions imposed on Niger last July after a coup, Benin has relaxed trade restrictions on their side of the border.

Talon expressed frustration that Niger’s rulers have not been willing to work together to restore relations and normalize trade formally. He specifically requested the Nigerien authorities to declare that oil is exempt from the border closure, thus allowing for special treatment for oil originating from Niger. Without this basic measure, all oil customs procedures between Benin and Niger are infeasible.

Niger, a landlocked country, utilizes a pipeline from its oilfields to Benin’s Seme port on the Atlantic coast for exporting its crude oil. Talon has been advocating for the military rulers to establish formal trade normalization instead of permitting informal border crossings. The closure of Benin’s northern border with Niger has led to a decrease in government revenues and an increase in food prices.