Benin’s President Patrice Talon has once again called on Niger’s military rulers to collaborate and reopen their side of the border to allow the export of oil via Benin.
Despite easing trade restrictions on its side of the Niger border, Benin has faced challenges as Niger’s rulers have kept their side of the frontier closed.
Talon stressed the need for Niger’s authorities to officially exempt oil from the border closure, stating, “Without this minimal step, all oil custom formalities are impossible between Benin and Niger.”
He emphasized that Benin should not be treated as an enemy country and that its territory cannot be subject to illicit trafficking or informal exchange.
The closure of the border has impacted Benin’s government revenues and increased the cost of food goods.
Landlocked Niger runs a pipeline from its oilfields to Benin’s Seme port on the Atlantic coast to export its crude, making cooperation between the two countries essential.
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