2023-09-04 19:00:09
Trucks carrying food, humanitarian aid and industrial equipment wait due to sanctions imposed on Niger, in the border town of Malanville (Benin), August 18, 2023. COFFI SERAPHIN ZOUNYEKPE / REUTERS
They watch the days go by trying to kill time. Between two trucks, drivers are busy preparing tea. Behind them, others are hanging out their laundry or resting in a makeshift tent erected at the front of their semi-trailer immobilized in the suburbs of the Beninese town of Kandi, about a hundred kilometers from the river which marks the border with Niger.
Since the coup against President Mohamed Bazoum on July 26, the airspace has been closed by the Nigerien junta on August 6, only to reopen to commercial flights on September 4. The blockade decided by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to punish the putschists is however still in force. Consequence: more than a thousand trucks are blocked in the area. On the Benin side, the line of stationary vehicles stretches nearly 25 kilometers from the Malanville border post.
Also read: Niger reopens airspace nearly a month after military coup
According to the World Food Program (WFP), some 6,000 tonnes of goods supplied by the UN agency are held up at Niger’s borders. “We could end up with 10 million people unable to feed themselves, warns Djaounsede Madjiangar, the organisation’s spokesperson. Humanitarian needs are growing and time is running out. »
Trucks parked at the border between Benin and Niger transport cereals, oil, specific food for malnourished children and medicines. These deliveries are intended to alleviate the food crisis hitting the Sahelian country, as 250,000 people have been pushed from their homes by the Islamist insurgency.
Cereal prices soar
Taking the pretext of “current security situation”while several jihadist attacks have been recorded since the putsch, the ruling junta in Niamey announced Thursday, August 31 the suspension of all activities of international organizations, NGOs and UN agencies, in the “areas of operations” military, but without specifying the regions concerned.
The lack of foodstuffs inside the country is causing prices to soar in Niger. Since the announcement of the ECOWAS sanctions, rice has increased by 21% and that of sorghum by 14%, according to the WFP. Before the putsch, nearly 3 million people were already struggling to get a meal a day. Sanctions are not limited to the food supply. Neighboring Nigeria has cut its electricity supply, which in particular complicates care in hospitals, said General Abdourahamane Tiani, the head of the National Council for the Safeguarding of the Fatherland (CNSP).
Read also: Article reserved for our subscribers Coup d’Etat in Niger: “Sanctions have negative effects on the lives of ordinary citizens”
Around the border, the living conditions of road hauliers are deteriorating a little more every day. ” I’ve been stuck in Malanville since July 26, complains Adamou Sifou Amadou, a Nigerien driver contacted by telephone. It’s raining all the time and there’s nothing left to eat because the street vendors who were supplying us at the start have disappeared. Many drivers have bouts of malaria and they don’t have medication. We are exhausted. »
The president of the drivers of Borgou and Alibori, two departments in northern Benin, was supposed to deliver 47 tons of rice to Zinder, in eastern Niger, but his truck has now been immobilized 900 kilometers away for more than 40 days from its point of delivery. Under the tarpaulin of his vehicle, the foodstuffs are spoiled by the humidity. “All opened or damaged bags of rice will be charged, he laments. Financially, it’s a disaster. »
A “colossal” loss for carriers
” Who will pay ?, asks Abdulrazak Koffi Bandele, transporter and trade unionist, based in Kandi. The carrier ? The chauffeur ? The owner of the goods? The insurance ? We do not know anything. We already suffer a colossal loss and we suffer a lot. The border must open and the Beninese government must hear us. » According to him, the return of trucks to the port of Cotonou 730 kilometers away, where activity has been idling since the start of the crisis, would be impossible due to the cost of diesel which would further increase losses. “And where could we park all these vehicles? There is no longer a single free space in the car parks”thunders Abdulrazak Koffi Bandele.
Bola Tinubu, president of Nigeria and ECOWAS, suggested on Thursday the possibility, immediately rejected by the regional organization, of a nine-month transition for the Nigerien junta. “The actions of the military are unacceptable, judged the Nigerian head of state. The sooner they make positive adjustments, the sooner we will reverse the sanctions to alleviate the suffering we see. » The generals in power in Niamey had mentioned on August 19 a transition of three years maximum.
Read also: In Niger, “the social and economic situation remains the major concern of an exasperated population”
On several occasions, the West African organization has expressed its readiness to use force to restore constitutional order. On the border between Benin and Niger, where there are armed bands from Nigeria in particular, the consequences of an armed intervention could be serious for road hauliers. “If ECOWAS starts a war, we already know that everything will be destroyed because people will kill each other to rush on our loads and loot the goods, worries Abdulazak Koffi Bandele. The whole region could then fall into chaos. »
#border #Benin #Niger #thousand #trucks #blocked #month