Niger’s Tchiani keeps border with Benin closed, citing security concerns

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By: Adamu Aliyu Ngulde, MAIDUGURI, Nigeria

Niger’s military ruler General Abdourahamane Tchiani said at the weekend that the border with neighbouring Benin will remain closed “as long as the security situation does not evolve” on the Beninese side.

Speaking on Saturday during a rally in Gaya, a town near the border, Tchiani accused Benin of hosting French troops and allowing Western countries to “finance and support terrorism” aimed at destabilising the Alliance of Sahel States (AES).

Niger’s junta has made similar accusations in the past, but Benin has consistently denied them.

Tchiani said reopening the frontier “would mean betraying the aspirations of the Nigerien people.”

The border between Niger and Benin has been shut since July 2023, following the coup that brought Tchiani to power. The closure has strained trade and human movement between the two countries over the past two years.

In August, Benin invited Niger and Burkina Faso - both AES members -to join its national day military parade in an attempt to ease tensions, but neither sent troops.

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