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00:00After expelling French troops from the country last year,
00:04Niamey now says it's concerned about their alleged presence in neighbouring Benin.
00:10A recurring accusation that the French armed forces already addressed
00:14during a visit to Benin last December.
00:18No, there is no permanent French military mission in Benin.
00:22You all live in Benin. If there was a French military base, you'd see it.
00:26Since 2022, the Beninese government has stepped up its military presence in border areas
00:33in a bid to contain the threat of terrorism on Benin's doorstep and throughout the country.
00:39As part of our strategy, we have planned and implemented the construction
00:42of a number of small military camps,
00:44which is perhaps what the Nigerian authorities are talking about.
00:48Perhaps they are of such high quality that Niger thinks African countries
00:51are not capable of building such high-standard infrastructure.
00:58In response, Patrice Talon, president of Benin,
01:01has halted the export of Nigerian crude oil from the Gulf of Guinea.
01:05Niger is a landlocked country and therefore charges its petrol
01:09through a 2,000-kilometre pipeline inaugurated in January
01:13before exporting it internationally.
01:15Niger is now calling on China, the project's largest shareholder, to mediate the crisis.
01:21Niger has always honoured its commitments and will continue to do so.
01:26That's why we told the Chinese side to take over and talk,
01:30and I think a solution will be found.
01:34The project as a whole could not be threatened.
01:36It was expected to generate 300 billion CFA francs for Benin over 20 years
01:41and create 3,000 jobs between the two countries.