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Niger has decided to suspend the transit of petroleum products destined for neighbouring Mali for security reasons. The threat of jihadist groups has been a major security issue in Mali and neighbouring countries like Burkina Faso, which is presently under the rule of a military junta
Niger has decided to suspend the transit of petroleum products destined for neighbouring Mali for security reasons. The threat of jihadist groups has been a major security issue in Mali and neighbouring countries like Burkina Faso, which is presently under the rule of a military junta.
The Niger Customs Directorate General announced the suspension of the issuance of transit permits for petroleum products granted to users in Mali on 21st September. However, suspension will not apply to products destined for the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Mali (Minusma).
The order will have a retrospective effect. It will suspend already issued authorizations for the supply of petroleum products in Mali, except for products meant for the UN mission.
This decision in certain quarters was termed as a retaliation for the Malian interim Prime Minister, Colonel Abdoulaye Maïga’s statement against Niger’s President Mohamed Bazoum while speaking at the UN’s 77th general assembly. He accused Mr. Bazoum of being not a citizen of Niger and a foreigner to Niger.
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The invective by Colonel Abdoulaye Maïga added that President Mohamed Bazoum’s actions reinforced the suspicions the Malian authorities had that he is not a citizen of Niger. This accusation dates back to 2019 when he contested the presidential election. His opponents alleged that Bazoum was not a citizen of Niger and was not eligible to be a candidate for the presidential election. Several members of the opposition then attempted to have his candidacy invalidated on the ground that he furnished a false certificate to the election commission. Their requests were finally rejected by the Constitutional Court in December 2020 as unfounded.
However, the customs authority in Niger asserts that the move was motivated by security reasons, not anything else. In Niger and neighbouring Burkina Faso, frequent hijackings of trucks carrying hydrocarbons by jihadist groups affiliated with the Islamic State (EI) and al-Qaeda, are frequently reported.
