Benin’s New President Romuald Wadagni Visits Niger in High Hopes Visit

Freshly inaugurated as President of the Republic of Benin, Romuald Wadagni has embarked on a tour of the West African subregion. After visiting Nigeria on Monday, he was warmly received in Niamey on Tuesday by the President of the National Council for the Safeguard of the Homeland, Abdourahmane Tiani, along with civilian and military officials, as well as traditional and religious leaders.

From Diori Hamani International Airport, the two leaders proceeded to the presidential palace where they held a private tête-à-tête before convening a meeting with delegations from both countries. This high level encounter has raised hopes for a return to normalcy in bilateral relations that have been severely strained since the coup d’état that took place in Niger in July 2023.

Benin, then under former President Patrice Talon, imposed a total embargo against Niger as part of the Economic Community of West African States, which Nigerien authorities have accused of being under the influence of external forces, particularly France. The pressures and threats of military intervention ultimately led Niger, along with Mali and Burkina Faso, to withdraw from ECOWAS. Since those events, the border between the two neighbouring countries has remained closed amid a crisis of confidence fuelled by the deployment of French forces in Benin after they were expelled from the Sahel.

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The image of the day, showing Presidents Romuald Wadagni and Abdourahmane Tiani side by side, reflects the natural fraternity between the Beninese and Nigerien peoples. According to an official communiqué issued at the end of the visit, a committee of experts has been established to address obstacles to strengthening cooperation, with a particular focus on reopening the border. The committee’s report is expected within 15 days.

The two presidents reaffirmed their commitment to unite their forces in the fight against terrorism and to revitalise the Niger‑Benin Joint Cooperation Commission. The visit is widely seen as a gesture of goodwill and a potential turning point in relations between the two neighbours, whose economies and populations have suffered from the prolonged border closure.

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