Benin-Niger Border: Will the expert committee enable a quick reopening? Analysis by political scientist Mathias Hounkpè.

The recent establishment of a joint experts committee reignites speculation about a possible normalization of bilateral relations, but a crucial question remains on everyone’s lips: will this parity effort finally allow for a quick reopening of the borders?

When asked by journalist David Baché on RFI, Beninese political scientist Mathias Hounkpè, one of the officials at the Electoral Institute for Sustainable Democracy in Africa, urges caution and tempers immediate expectations.

According to him, it is still premature to assert that the negotiations of this committee will lead to an instant outcome. The expert emphasizes that if the technical discussions reveal strict security prerequisites required by either side to reassure each other, the overall process could take much longer than anticipated.

The researcher also reminds that the nature of this border dispute is asymmetric, noting that Benin fundamentally did not have a direct dispute with its northern neighbor. The prolonged closure stemmed more from suspicions held by the Nigerien transitional authorities, who feared the existence of a hostile rear base on Beninese soil aimed at destabilizing their regime.

For Mathias Hounkpè, the key to unlocking the situation lies entirely in the capabilities of the joint committee to transparently demonstrate the non-existence of this security risk, a major clarification that would then facilitate a definitive lifting of the land barriers.