In a televised interview aired on Saturday, May 31, 2025, Niger’s transitional president, General Abdourahamane Tiani, offered a detailed explanation for his country’s continued closure of the border with Benin. According to him, the decision is neither arbitrary nor politically motivated, but rather driven by an ongoing security threat.
The Nigerien head of state openly accused Benin’s authorities of hosting “destabilizing French troops” on their territory following France’s expulsion from Niger in the summer of 2023. Tiani made it clear that military cooperation between Paris and Cotonou poses a strategic threat to Niger.
“As long as Benin fails to understand that our fight is not against them but against the destabilizing French forces, the border will remain closed,” he declared.
He condemned what he called the duplicity of the Beninese government, which he accused of denying the obvious while continuing military collaboration with France. He particularly criticized President Patrice Talon for disregarding warnings from Niamey and choosing instead to deepen ties with Paris.
Asked whether Niger was treating Benin more harshly than Nigeria — whose border remains open despite similar suspicions — Tiani rejected any notion of discrimination. He insisted that Niger’s decisions are based on concrete intelligence, not sentiment or appearances.
“A state does not act on perception. It acts on decisive information,” he stated.
Tiani acknowledged that the same concerns have been raised with Abuja, but claimed that Benin’s level of military cooperation with France justifies more stringent action. He also stressed that the border closure is not a hostile gesture toward the Beninese people, but a precautionary measure in the face of what he considers a direct threat to Niger’s sovereignty.
The ambassador incident and deepening divisions
General Tiani also addressed the diplomatic incident involving the abrupt recall of Benin’s ambassador to Niger. The ambassador had reportedly traveled to Gaya in a bid to ease tensions and promote reconciliation between the two countries. However, according to Tiani, the envoy’s initiative was quickly disavowed by Cotonou, which recalled him the same day — and he has not been seen since.
To Niamey, this episode illustrates Benin’s unwillingness to embrace dialogue and its preference for indirect confrontation through cooperation with foreign powers.
Niger’s stance remains firm. Tiani warned that the border will not reopen unless Benin explicitly ends its collaboration with French forces. He emphasized that Niger is waging a battle for its sovereignty, and no compromises will be made until this red line is respected.
“This isn’t theoretical,” he concluded. “It’s our soldiers dying. It’s our civilians being killed. And that’s exactly what we were trying to prevent from happening in Benin.”