West Africa / Diplomatic crisis between Niger and Benin: Arrest of five WAPCO-Niger officials
The diplomatic crisis between Niger and Benin reached a new critical level on Thursday, June 6, 2024, following the arrest of the Deputy Director General of WAPCO-Niger and four other members of the company by Beninese security services. This incident, related to the export of Nigerien oil via the port of Seme in Benin, triggered an immediate and vigorous reaction from Nigerien authorities.
During a joint press conference, Nigerien Minister of Petroleum Barké Bako Mahamane Moustapha and Minister of Justice Alio Daouda detailed the sequence of events that led to these arrests. Mahamane Moustapha explained that the WAPCO-Niger officials were on an official mission to oversee the loading of crude oil intended for a Chinese tanker.
He denounced the lack of valid reasons for these arrests and announced the closure of the Koulele crude oil post in Agadem by the evening if the detainees were not released, following the instruction of the President of the National Council for the Safeguard of the Homeland (CNSP).
Minister of Justice Alio Daouda strongly condemned the arrests, calling them illegal and a flagrant violation of the bilateral agreement between Niger and Benin. He threatened to take the matter to the competent jurisdictions, including the arbitration court of the Organization for the Harmonization of Business Law in Africa (OHADA), if no solution was found quickly.
For their part, Beninese authorities justified these arrests by accusing the Nigerien nationals of entering the Seme-Kpodji pipeline terminal under false pretenses. Special prosecutor Mario Metonou stated that investigations are ongoing to determine the true motivations of this group. He emphasized that two of the detainees are suspected of being agents of the current government in Niamey and mentioned information suggesting the planning of acts against the security of the State of Benin.
