At the invitation of the Nigerien Head of State, General Abdourahmane Tiani, the new Beninese President Romuald Wadagni traveled to Niamey on the morning of Tuesday, June 2nd. He was greeted upon his arrival by his Nigerien counterpart.

After the military honors and the playing of the national anthems, the two statesmen headed towards the Presidential Palace.

Tiani and Wadagni together against terrorism and banditry

Within the walls of the building, they held a one-on-one meeting, followed by a working session expanded to include members of both delegations on several topics of common interest.

The discussions provided an opportunity for an in-depth examination of the challenges facing both countries, as well as major issues in the sub-region and international news. The two presidents reaffirmed their shared commitment to strengthening bilateral cooperation to meet their ambitions and the legitimate expectations of their respective peoples, who aspire to nothing less than peace, security, and development.

On the security front, the two heads of state discussed the terrorist threat in the Sahel and West Africa. They reaffirmed their commitment to joining forces to combat the scourge of terrorism, which undermines the implementation of development programs initiated by their respective governments.

The two leaders pledged to remove all obstacles to strengthening cooperation between Porto-Novo and Niamey.

Presidents Wadagni and Tiani declared themselves convinced of the need to strengthen cooperation at the political, economic, scientific, and cultural levels between the two countries and agreed to increase mutual exchanges at all levels, particularly through the regular holding of the Niger-Beninese joint cooperation commission.

They also expressed their commitment to removing all obstacles to strengthening cooperation between the two countries, including the reopening of the Benin-Niger border.

Just a few weeks ago, such a declaration of intent would have been unthinkable. President Tiani was inflexible on the issue of reopening the borders. He accused Benin of harboring French bases whose sinister aim was to destabilize his government. These accusations may still be on the table, but the commitment made by the strongman of Niamey should already be commended.

A committee of experts tasked with identifying and removing obstacles between the two countries has been established and has 15 days to submit its report to the two heads of state. It is hoped that after the report is submitted, General Tiani will finally decide to reopen the borders between the two countries. This would be a major diplomatic coup for the new President Wadagni. In any case, there is reason to be optimistic.