Relations between Benin and Niger are once again strained. While relations between the two neighboring countries have deteriorated steadily since General Abdourahmane Tiani came to power in 2023 following the overthrow of former President Mohamed Bazoum, the discord seemed to have calmed down somewhat in recent months. That is, until the beginning of this year, when the two countries mutually expelled diplomats. After Cotonou expelled two officials—a police officer and a Nigerien civil servant—from the Nigerien embassy on January, Niamey retaliated by declaring the Beninese chargé d'affaires persona non grata. The Beninese authorities have not officially commented on this decision. As a reminder, Cotonou recalled its ambassador in February 2025. This new friction between the two countries comes in the wake of the failed coup in Benin, where the government had also condemned the involvement of "nostalgic Beninese politicians" and foreign supporters. For his part, General Tiani has continued to accuse Benin of harboring a French base with the aim of destabilizing Niger.

The start of the election season

This year, Beninese citizens will be called to the polls for legislative, municipal, and presidential elections. On January 11, the legislative and municipal elections took place. Members of Parliament will now be elected for a seven-year term—instead of five years previously—since the revision of the Constitution in November 2025. Five parties are vying for the 109 seats: the Union Progressiste le Renouveau (UPR), the Bloc républicain (BR) and Moele Bénin. Then there is the opposition party Les Démocrates (LD) of former president Boni Yayi and the Forces Cauris pour un Bénin Emergent (FCBE), a so-called "moderate" opposition party. However, only the URP, the BR, and the FCBE are participating in the municipal elections. The LD's candidate lists were deemed inadmissible by the Constitutional Court, meaning that the party will also not be participating in the presidential election, following its disqualification for lack of sponsorship.