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00:00In Niger, traders who rely on imports from Nigeria can breathe a sigh of relief.
00:07On March 14, Nigerian authorities reopened the border between the two countries, which
00:13had been closed for a month.
00:15Just three weeks earlier, ECOWAS had decided to lift the sanctions imposed on Niger after
00:20the July 2020 free coup.
00:22Since then, business is slowly getting back on track in capital city Niamey.
00:27I don't know exactly how much money we lost during this crisis, but it's significant.
00:35But things are getting better now that the border is open again.
00:38When the border was closed, sometimes the goods we bought in Nigeria got stuck.
00:43We had to put them on smugglers' trucks, even though it was risky and dangerous, particularly
00:49because of the insecurity.
00:52Nigeria, which is the economic powerhouse of the region, is once again selling electricity
00:59to Niger, which depends on it for 70 per cent of its needs.
01:04For the past few months, the power was always going out, but now it's better.
01:09We have electricity all the time.
01:11Today, many traders want financial compensation from Nigeria and Benin's governments.
01:16They believe the two countries violated regional rules by closing their borders with Niger
01:21at the request of ECOWAS leaders.
01:29We're considering legal action in the countries that closed their borders and caused us losses.
01:35We want help and support from the military authorities so that Nigerian traders can be
01:40rightfully compensated.
01:47It's been nearly two months since ECOWAS lifted sanctions, yet the border with Benin, which
01:53is Niger's main trade route, remains closed under the directive of Nigerian authorities.