Africa-Press. Niger’s authorities have established a set of security and legal conditions that they deem necessary to meet before making a decision to reopen the borders with Benin. This comes after eight weeks since the visit of the President of Benin to Niger, and five weeks after a meeting of the joint expert committee between the two countries, during which the land borders remain closed despite efforts to normalize relations following a three-year diplomatic crisis.
The meetings of the joint committee held in Cotonou on June 20 and 21, 2026, concluded with what was described as a positive atmosphere, with an announcement of progress in the normalization process. However, the borders remained closed, reinforcing observers’ expectations of unresolved points of contention that continue to hinder reaching a final agreement.
Statements from the head of the military council in Niger, General Abdrahmane Tiani, during an interview broadcast by the official television on July 26, confirmed the persistence of these obstacles, stating that there are “preconditions that must be addressed before making the final, irreversible decision to reopen the borders.”
The timeline agreed upon following the Cotonou meeting stipulated that draft agreements would be presented to the leadership of both countries for ratification before being officially signed in the capital, Niamey. However, this process has not been completed to date.
Nigerian authorities sent their observations regarding the draft agreements to Benin, which included principal conditions related to defense and security agreements. Niamey demands the redeployment of foreign forces that it believes are present in northern Benin, to be moved away from the shared border with Niger, while the Beninese government continues to deny the presence of any foreign forces in that area.
Niger also demands amnesty for several of its officials who have previously received judicial sentences in Benin, including the deputy general manager of the West African Oil Pipeline Company (WAPCO) Niger, who was sentenced in June 2024 to 18 months in prison with a suspended sentence for impersonation and using forged identification cards. Despite their return to Niger since that time, Niamey is calling for the annulment of the sentences against them.
Experts from both countries had anticipated the reopening of borders for the movement of people and bulk goods by mid-July, with container traffic to resume later. However, this step has not materialized due to ongoing disputes.
It remains unclear whether the Beninese government has provided its official response to the observations and amendments proposed by Niger, amid the absence of any official statements from either side, and without comments from Beninese ministers on the matter. Cotonou has also not issued any official response to General Tiani’s statements.
