Niger Republic yet to reopen border despite removal of sanctions – Official
Niger Republic is yet to reopen its border with Benin, two days following the lifting of coup-linked sanctions by a West African bloc on the landlocked nation, including border closures, local officials revealed on Monday.
Neptune Prime reports that the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) declared on Saturday that it was lifting sanctions imposed after last year’s military coup in Niger, which included measures such as a no-fly zone, border closures, and asset freezes.
“There has been no change on the Niger side so far; the border remains closed, and we are still waiting,” shared local journalist Fhadel Alou with AFP, speaking from the Niger border town of Gaya. “The border with Benin has reopened,” he added.
Despite this, two Nigerien officials confirmed that the border with Benin “remained closed.”
Last July, Niger’s President Mohamed Bazoum was ousted in a military coup, leading ECOWAS to suspend trade and impose strict sanctions. However, any potential military intervention warned by the bloc seems to have dissipated, with little progress towards the restoration of Bazoum, who is still held in the presidential palace.
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Residents on the Benin side of the border disclosed that the Nigerien military continues to block a bridge on the frontier.
Prior to the border closure, the Niger-Benin corridor handled 80% of Niger’s freight through the Beninese port of Cotonou, located about 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) away from Niger’s capital, Niamey.
Following the sanctions, which led to a decline in the port’s revenues, Benin announced the lifting of the suspension of Nigerien imports transiting through Cotonou.
ECOWAS also announced on Sunday the easing of sanctions against Guinea and Mali, both of which have experienced coups, following an emergency summit.
This move by ECOWAS indicates a willingness to engage in dialogue with military regimes within its member states, especially after Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso expressed their intention to exit the bloc.
