First Independent Mena Newspaper
As the three junta-led Sahel countries are to officially quit the regional grouping ECOWAS on Wednesday (29 January), the years of growing political tensions and deteriorating relations with their neighbors have shaken up trade routes across the West African region. The looming withdrawal of Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger from the Economic Community of West […]
An Al-Qaeda-linked jihadist group on Friday claimed responsibility for an attack in northern Benin near the borders with insurgency-hit neighbors, Burkina Faso and Niger that killed at least 28 troops this week. The raid that took place on Jan.8 was the deadliest the Beninese army has suffered in years, authorities have confirmed. National Guard chief […]
Stellio Gilles Robert Capo-Chichi, more widely known as Kémi Séba, has announced his intention to run in Benin’s presidential election set for April 2026. The well-known Pan-African activist issued a pointed critique of President Patrice Talon’s administration in a recent video message, accusing the incumbent President of disadvantaging domestic businesses while granting considerable benefits to […]
A woman from a Caribbean Island recently settled in Benin that once served as a major hub in the transatlantic slave trade. She felt an immediate sense of connection and familiarity there, as the people’s customs and demeanor reminded her of relatives back home. Determined to strengthen her bond with her ancestral roots, she now […]
The number of African countries offering e-visas has risen from 9 in 2016 to 26 in 2024, the latest addition of the Africa Visa Openness Index (AVOI) has revealed, with Benin, The Gambia, Rwanda and the Seychelles ranked the highest in visa openness, with Africans requiring no visas to enter these countries. The 2024 Africa […]
Moroccan port operator Marsa Maroc has signed a deal to start operating Benin’s Cotonou port terminals next month, a statement said. Marsa Maroc will operate terminal 1 and 5 in Cotonou’s port after winning an international tender issued by the company in charge of cargo handling, Société Béninoise des Manutentions Portuaires (SOBEMAP). Casablanca-listed Marsa Maroc […]
Niger is considering routing its oil through neighboring Chad and Cameroon, instead of using a China-backed pipeline running from Niger to Benin’s coast, after protracted diplomatic disputes with the latter and a recent rebel attack that damaged the vital pipeline. The China-backed pipeline, which the junta in Niamey hoped would turn Niger into an oil-exporting […]
Benin accused Niger of sending secret agents to spy in its Seme port where a Chinese-built pipeline was supposed to begin exporting Nigerien gas, before it was blocked by Beninese authorities last month. The arrest of five Nigerien nationals marks a new escalatory move in the standoff between the two ECOWAS neighbors. Benin said the […]
“If we don’t act now,” the humanitarian crisis that is unfolding in the Sahel will “become a problem for the world,” a senior UNHCR official has warned, echoing a senior UNICEF official that has condemned a “distressing” 70% rise in grave violence against children in several strife-torn countries in the region plagued by jihadists and […]
Benin and Niger finally appear to have resolved their trade dispute following the mediation by the Chinese government, which has led Benin to lift the blockade preventing Niger’s oil export through its territory to China. Tensions between the two West African neighbors began last year after Niger’s ruling junta ousted the country’s democratically elected president […]