Togo roped into Benin-Niger feud: summary

What we know

• Togo has been caught in the middle of a border dispute between Niger and Benin as Niger authorities impose new rules for freight removal from Togo.
• Per a new bilateral agreement on road transport between the Republic of Niger and the Togolese Republic, Nigerien goods in Togo including those at the port of Lome cannot be transported by vehicles registered in Benin.
• Exceptions have been made for vehicles from Burkina Faso, Mali and Ghana with ministerial authorisation. The new bilateral agreement also comes despite bilateral road transport agreements between Benin and Niger in the past that allows the transportation of Nigerian goods and imports through Benin and Togolese ports.
• The move comes amidst rising tensions between Benin and Niger after a coup that overthrew Niger’s President, Mohamed Bazoum. Niger closed its border to Benin as a result.
• Benin in response blocked the export of Nigerien oil at the port of Sèmè-Podji, demanding that the new Nigerien reopen the borders before any shipment of the crucial crude oil can be done.

What they said

Colonel Major Salissou Mahaman Salissou, Secretary-General of the ministry, disclosed in a statement that the activities will be "reserved exclusively for vehicles registered in Niger and Togo”. “Upon exceptional authorisation from the Minister of Transport and Equipment, vehicles registered in Burkina Faso, Mali, and Ghana may also participate in freight removal. Any violator will be subject to sanctions provided for by the regulations in force," the statement added.