Diplomatic Tensions Rise: Benin Imprisons Three Nigeriens

A court in Benin has sentenced three Nigeriens who were apprehended last week at a port, according to judicial sources on Friday.

The strained relations between Benin and Niger stem from the coup last year that removed Nigerien President Mohammed Bazoum from power.

The port of Seme-Kpodji in Benin, which exports oil from Niger, has become a point of contention. Last week, five Nigeriens were arrested at Seme-Kpodji for allegedly entering the port illegally. Following an appearance before a judge, three of the five, including the deputy general director of the oil company Wapco-Niger, were imprisoned on Thursday, as reported by several judicial sources to AFP.

Their trial is scheduled to commence on Monday, June 17. “Two of them were released,” stated one of the judicial sources.

The lawyer representing them did not respond to multiple calls from AFP. In response to the coup, Benin enforced regional sanctions on Niger, leading to the closure of the border, which has since been reopened.

However, Niger’s military rulers have declined to reopen their side of the border. Benin recently announced on national television that it was lifting the “blockade” on Nigerien oil.

Beninese President Patrice Talon had previously linked the commencement of oil loading from Niger to the reopening of the border. Despite efforts by Chinese company Wapco, which operates the pipeline, the loading process has faced obstacles.

Beninese authorities claim that at least two of the individuals arrested on June 5 were not employees of Wapco-Niger but rather “Nigerian agents” who entered the premises with counterfeit badges.

According to Niamey, the team was in Benin to supervise the oil loading process. The military regime in Niger denounced the arrests as a “kidnapping” and expressed readiness to take any necessary actions to secure their unconditional release. Following the arrests, the military regime in Niamey shut off the valves of the oil pipeline, as announced by Nigerien public television on Thursday.