The closure of the border between Nigeria and Niger following the coup d’état in Niamey on July 26, 2023 had disastrous consequences for the populations of both countries. In this border region, activities are paralyzed and many people find themselves without work and without resources. This worrying situation arouses incomprehension and frustration among those who live daily in a space where the border has no meaning.
Mohamed Abdoullahi, a Nigerien transporter, has been waiting for several weeks for the border to reopen, stuck with his cargo of shoes and clothes intended for sale in Niamey. For him, the closure of the border is incomprehensible, because for him, Nigeria and Niger are almost the same thing. He says: “I am in Niger, I got married in Nigeria, in Abuja. Now I am in Niamey.”
Yazid Abdourahamane, a young Nigerian who works in Nigeria but whose family lives in Niamey, shares the same vision. He considers himself both Nigerien and Nigerian, emphasizing the cultural and linguistic ties between the two countries. He expresses his frustration with the current situation: “Really, I can say that we are blocked, economically and socially. We cannot go see our families. Nothing is working, we are eating what we have harvested since, because Niger has completely secured its border and Nigeria too.”
Abdullahi Shehu, a Nigerian married to a woman from Niger, also highlights the lack of difference between the two countries, stressing that they are “one people”. His wife Myriam expresses her concern about the safety of residents of border towns who find themselves cut off from their families and who fear the consequences of a possible war.
In this context, the position of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), which excludes any intention of war against Niger or Nigeriens, struggles to convince the inhabitants of border towns, who live in an atmosphere of desolation and uncertainty.
In short, the closure of the border between Nigeria and Niger following the coup d’état has dramatic repercussions for the populations of both countries. Trade restrictions and difficulties in accessing families create a situation of economic and social blockage which leaves the inhabitants of the region in anguish and uncertainty about the future of their relations with other ECOWAS countries.
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