Ruptly
"Benin President Romuald Wadagni arrived in Niamey on Tuesday, making the first presidential visit from his country since the 2023 coup in Niger in a bid to thaw ties between the two countries. Footage shows Niger and Benin flags displayed on major roads in Niger’s capital. Niger President Abdourahamane Tchiani can be seen standing in respect for the national anthem and receiving Wadagni at the airport. Beninese nationals living in the capital said they were elated to see their president visiting Niger, while wishing for both countries to resume ties and reopen the border. “June 2, 2026, is a truly unforgettable day because we have long hoped that a Beninese authority would come to visit here,” said Agboso Hyppolite, a Beninese national living in Niger. “We have waited for a long time.” “The expectation is nothing other than the normalisation of relations linking the two brotherly countries to facilitate the integration of us other Beninese here,” said Bachabi, a student from Benin based in Niamey. “He must know that he is at home. Niger is his country,” said Kadidja Sama, President of the Beninese Women’s Association in Niger. "Our wish is the opening of the Benin border, that is what preoccupies us.” Ties between the two countries hit their lowest point after a coup in Niger in July 2023, which overthrew Niger's then-President Mohamed Bazoum. The visit is seen as a potential sign of a thaw in relations between the two neighbours, which have been marked by tensions since the military takeover resulting in the closure of land borders on the Nigerien side. Last month, Nigerien Prime Minister Ali Mahamane Lamine Zeine attended the swearing-in ceremony of Wadagni in Benin, rekindling hope of a reset in relations between the two West African countries."
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