NIAMEY, Niger – Niger plans to use Chad’s pipeline to export its crude oil to the international market due to disagreements with Benin over the use of the pipeline passing through the Beninese port of Sémè, reports the Nigerien press agency. During a council of ministers meeting on June 24, 2024, Nigerien Prime Minister Ali Mahamane Lamine Zeine raised the possibility of resuming oil exports through Chad.

According to Burkina Information Agency, the Nigerien government has decided to establish a committee to reactivate the work necessary to achieve this objective. This decision follows a mission dispatched to Niger on May 30 by Chadian President Mahamat Idriss Deby Itno. The ANP reports that the mission was a response to the increasing tension between Niger and Benin over oil shipments.

The dispute escalated on June 5 when Benin arrested and tried Nigerian state clerks at the Beninese port terminal of Sèmè Kodji for “usurpation of title and use of falsified computer data.” In retaliation, Nigerien authorities closed the flow valves for Nigerien crude oil to Benin and awarded the Sarauniya Mangou Medal of Sovereignty to its agents acquitted or given suspended sentences by the Beninese justice system.

The announcement of Niger’s decision to use Chad’s pipeline for oil exports was followed by a visit from former Beninese presidents Nicéphore Dieudonné Soglo and Thomas Boni Yayi to Niamey. They met with Niger’s President General Abdourahamane Tiani to discuss the ongoing disputes between the two countries.

The border between Niger and Benin remains closed due to security concerns cited by Niamey authorities, who accuse Benin of harboring terrorist bases. This closure has led to a surge in prices in Benin, exacerbating tensions in Cotonou. Following the fall of Niger’s President Bazoum, Benin’s authorities supported a military intervention through ECOWAS forces to reinstate the deposed president and dislodge General Tiani from power.