Niger: After arrest of five engineers, authorities denounce violation of pipeline agreement
The Ministers of Petroleum, Mahaman Moustapha Barké, and Justice, Alio Daouda, from Niger recently held a joint press conference to address the critical situation arising from the arrest, by the Beninese authorities, of the deputy general manager of WAPCO and four Nigerian engineers. They were on a mission to supervise the loading of a ship destined to transport crude oil from Niger.
It so happened that in the meantime, the Beninese refused access to the site to the Nigerians due to the diplomatic crisis between the two countries. For Benin, since the Nigerians no longer want to do business with Benin, their engineers should not set foot on their soil for any reason, which violates the agreement on the transportation of Niger’s crude oil via the Beninese port, which stipulates that « the loading operations of the boats must be done in the presence of the three parties: Beninese, Nigerien, and Chinese ».
Initially, Niger had rejected such folly by a responsible state, but after analyzing the economic stakes it entailed for the three parties, the Nigerien authorities acquiesced. But it turned out that for the loading of oil, the presence of a team of engineers and inspectors is essential. Ironically, on the Chinese side, there are no inspectors, only engineers.
This is what Niger proposed temporarily. Since the refusal of access to the site by the Nigerians is a recent decision, the Nigerien inspectors will continue to wait until WAPCO Benin and the Chinese themselves find inspectors. And before the Nigerians leave Niamey, the Beninese authorities are informed of their arrival and also of the mission for which they will be there.
Today, on the Niger side, the change is blocked until the five arrested individuals are released and reinstated.
It should be noted that the first shipment of Nigerien oil at the port of Sèmè Kpodji took place on May 19th, following mediation by WAPCO between the Beninese and Nigerien parties. On May 27th and 28th, a bilateral meeting between the Beninese and Nigerien Mines Ministers was held in Niamey to find a way out on the export of Nigerien oil via the Beninese coast, without a solution finally being proposed.
