A court in Benin sentenced three Nigeriens to 18-month suspended prison terms on Monday, further straining relations between the West African neighbors.
The convictions come amid a simmering dispute over access to Benin’s port facilities for Niger’s oil exports.
Tensions have been high since a coup in Niger last year ousted President Mohammed Bazoum.
Benin’s port of Seme-Kpodji serves as a crucial outlet for Niger’s landlocked oil industry. Five Nigeriens were arrested at the port earlier this month, accused of illegal entry.
On Monday, Benin’s Court for the Repression of Economic Offenses and Terrorism (CRIET) sentenced three of them – including Moumouni Hadiza Ibra, a senior official with a company operating the Niger-Benin oil pipeline – to suspended jail terms.
The charges were reclassified from illegal entry to “usurpation of title and use of falsified computer data.”
Lawyers for the defendants denied all accusations.
This incident adds fuel to the existing fire. Benin had previously closed its border with Niger following regional sanctions imposed after the coup. While Benin reopened its side, Niger’s military rulers refused to reciprocate.
Additionally, Benin conditioned the resumption of Niger’s oil exports through its port on the complete reopening of the border.
Niger’s stance is different. The arrested team, according to Niamey, was on an official mission to oversee oil loading.
The military regime condemned the arrests as “kidnapping” and threatened to take measures to secure their “unconditional” release. Further escalating tensions, Niger shut down the oil pipeline valves following the arrests.
The situation remains unresolved, with the suspended sentences unlikely to appease Niger. This dispute over port access and the recent arrests threaten to further destabilize relations between the two West African nations.
