Niger and Benin have announced significant progress on several sensitive issues, including security, goods transit, and bilateral cooperation, amid thawing relations between the two neighbours.
This follows two days of high-level talks in Cotonou.
Niamey and Cotonou took a decisive step toward rapprochement after reaching agreements in principle on security, economic, and legal matters following 48 hours of talks in the Beninese capital.
The breakthrough paves the way for the imminent reopening of their shared border and a revival of bilateral cooperation.
These advancements solidify consultations initiated on Friday in Benin’s economic capital by Niger’s Minister of State for Interior, Public Security, and Territorial Administration, Major General Mohamed Toumba, who led a high-powered Nigerien delegation.
At the conclusion of the talks, both parties announced consensus on several key principles. These notably include security cooperation, transit tax exemptions, bans on the domestic consumption of specific goods, a review of various service charges, and the settlement of outstanding disputes.
“We have locked in security as our top priority. We have also laid the groundwork for economic and legal normalisation,” Major General Toumba declared, praising the commitment to dialogue as a means to generate “value for our economies, security for our populations, and hope for our youth.”
On the Beninese side, Minister of Industry and Commerce, Oleshegun Adjadi Bakari, noted that the two delegations had successfully restored a climate of trust.
“After spending 48 hours together, we stand as a single delegation with a single objective: to revive the love and the centuries-old bond that unites our two peoples,” he stated.
The conclusions of the talks are subject to final approval by the authorities of both countries before they are expected to come into effect.
The agreements build on the momentum generated on June 2 in Niamey during a meeting between Beninese President Romuald Wadagni and Nigerien counterpart General Abdourahamane Tiani.
They also come just days after a joint committee of Beninese and Nigerien experts reported “fruitful results” while reviewing conditions to reopen the border, which has been closed for nearly three years.
Beyond the border issue, both nations intend to reconvene their joint cooperation commission and tighten coordination to combat terrorism and cross-border crime in frontier areas.
Major General Mohamed Toumba’s visit stands as one of the most concrete developments since Niamey and Cotonou began mending ties, while diplomatic channels continue to review plans for a reciprocal visit by General Abdourahamane Tiani to Benin.
AC/Sf/lb/as/APA