Benin/Niger: Traffic resumes at sole border crossing September 26 /update 1

Event

Road traffic between Benin and Niger resumed on Wednesday, September 26, after three weeks of interruption following the September 5 collapse of a bridge near the northern Benin city of Malanville (Alibori department). The collapse forced the closure of the sole border crossing between Benin and Niger.

A new bridge will be constructed to replace the failed structure; according to the Benin government, the construction will take 30 to 45 days. However, Beninese authorities have succeeded in constructing a temporary road structure, allowing traffic to resume.

Context

The bridge connected the cities of Malanville in Benin and Gaya (Dosso region) in Niger and served as the only land crossing between the two nations. Several weeks of heavy rain and rising water from the Niger and Sota rivers caused the structure to weaken and collapse.