Attack on the Niger–Benin pipeline: a new threat to Niger’s oil

The largest oil pipeline in Africa, linking Niger to Benin, was sabotaged again on Sunday, December 21, 2025, by rebels opposed to the junta in power in Niamey. This attack, claimed by the MPLJ, directly threatens Niger’s oil revenues and raises the risk of fuel shortages.

A new coup against a strategic infrastructure. On Sunday, December 21, the Niger–Benin oil pipeline, nearly 2,000 kilometers long and considered the largest in Africa, was the target of major sabotage. According to Jeune Afrique, the attack hit a key section of this pipeline that connects the Agadem oil fields, in northeastern Niger, to the Sèmè-Kpodji maritime terminal, in southern Benin.

The operation is said to have been claimed by the Patriotic Movement for Freedom and Justice (MPLJ). This militia, rooted in the Toubou community, openly opposes the military junta led by General Abdourahamane Tiani.