Closure of the river bypass to go to Niger : Benin toughens its tone

Wednesday 22 May 2024,  the Beninese authorities have decided to close river traffic which served as an alternative between the people of the two neighboring countries until then at the border. A decision provoked by the standoff between him and General Tiani’s junta, which still refuses to open its border with Benin.

After having repeatedly demonstrated, the good faith of Benin to always establish good relations with its neighbor Niger, the ruling junta is currently refusing to grasp the outstretched hand of the Beninese Head of State. Yet informally, several products still transit through Cotonou to end up in Niamey.  Indeed, Sota FM says it noticed on the morning of Wednesday 22 May, the ban on transport on the Niger River. From now on, nor the goods, nor are people allowed to return to Benin by river, vice versa. To ensure the application of this decision, elements of the Republic Police are deployed on the ground.

The river, l’alternative

An investigation carried out by the investigative journalist on duty at Sota Fm (radio located in Malanville), Loukoumane Worou Tchehou reveals intense illegal activities in cross-border trafficking on the Niger River. “We only have this way to get our goods to Niger. It's unofficial but, we have no choice”, explains Moutala Adamou, manager of a transit and transport company based in Cotonou. Just, he continues “that we declare the goods for release for consumption in Benin, for customs formalities at the Port of Cotonou. We transport the goods to the river in Malanville. Once there, we request the services of canoeists who help us get them to the other bank of the river”. But it goes without saying that the conditions for the consumption of products at the Autonomous Port of Cotonou are respected., insists the forwarder. 27 December 2023, the authorities of the Port of Cotonou, through a press release, lifted the measure suspending imports of goods to Niger. A decision that leaves you perplexed, especially since the hundreds of trucks stuck in Malanville since the border closed are still there. River transport is therefore the alternative to the border, but risky according to the freight forwarder who calls for the restoration of good economic relations between Benin and Niger. “The river is an unofficial solution to the current situation but there is a risk of drowning”, fears our interlocutor who also mentions wasted time and additional costs linked to the transport of goods by river. Because according to him, since the border closed, in addition to the cost of customs formalities, freight forwarders are called upon to pay for the clandestine crossing of goods. This remains an alternative for communities, while waiting for the situation to normalize which lasts for months. At the border, more than twenty buses exchange passengers. In the vast majority, these are the transport companies of Niger which operate in the West African sub-region. Imported and local products pass in both directions, just like the people at the border.

Patrice Talon on informal exchanges

When making a statement, Wednesday 8 May at the Marina Palace, The head of state, Patrice Talon reiterated his country's good faith for normalization of relations with Niger. Read part of his statement to understand everything.  “I pleaded for the sanctions to be lifted and for the situation in Niger to return to normal. This is the case and Benin immediately implemented measures to lift sanctions and we opened the borders. It is unfortunate to note that since, this is not the case for the Nigerien authorities. We have been patient because our wish is that the two peoples continue to live in peace and harmony and that the two peoples on both sides work for common development and the fight against terrorism and insecurity. which are currently raging in the north of Benin coming from the south of the Sahel countries. But unfortunately, we do not observe it. Time passes and we learn that Benin would have massed troops on its border with foreign forces to invade Niger. What, of the common living, is totally ridiculous. There is no reason for Benin to attack Niger with the support of foreign forces. We don't know where it comes from or if it's because we have to have a scapegoat. Still, we have not missed opportunities to send messages to the Nigerien authorities of our availability to resume collaboration as before.. For some time, we even allowed agricultural products from Benin to go to Niger because there is a shortage of foodstuffs, cereal. Benin is a country that has become an exporter of cereals and everyone has been able to see and observe that although the borders are closed, Benin allows consumer goods, in particular agricultural products go to Niger. Arrived at the Malanville bridge which is the formal passage between Benin and Niger, the border is open on the Benin side and closed on the Niger side. The edge of the river has become the field of trafficking of goods and large boats load the foodstuffs from Benin, the corn, rice, millet, sorghum to cross the border. So an informal exchange environment was established, a traffic. All things contributing to generating public service dysfunctions because it is not the normal route of exchange. But we turned a blind eye to it because it serves our brothers and sisters in Niger who need food, cereal. It is unfortunate to note that this solidarity that we express towards our brothers and sisters in Niger has even created an increase in the price of foodstuffs., especially corn, you mile, sorghum and our compatriots even began to demonstrate. We pay a heavy economic price, on a social level and even on a political level. There were marches in Benin against the increase in the price of foodstuffs, particularly in the country, and the export of foodstuffs to Niger is the sole cause.. These are massive quantities going to these countries to the detriment of the purchasing power of the Beninese. There is no better act of solidarity than this”.

Damien TOLOMISSI