Niger: growing unrest among transport workers as Tiani regime faces mounting pressure

The convoy, which had departed from the Port of Lomé and was transiting through Burkina Faso, was ambushed near the Niger border. The attack left three drivers dead, several injured, and two missing before being rescued by the army. Three trucks belonging to the Ariba company were also torched. “It’s one tragedy too many,” said Gamaté in an interview with journalist Rudolph Karl, visibly shaken. He reminded listeners that this was far from an isolated incident—transporters operate daily under the threat of armed groups on this route.

In response, Uttan issued a statement demanding greater protection for convoys. But the move prompted a summons from Nigerien authorities. “I was blamed for speaking out before the official government communiqué,” said Gamaté. He was particularly criticized for raising the possibility of reopening the border with Benin—a highly sensitive topic amid current diplomatic tensions. Yet for him, informing transporters and calling for increased security is simply part of his union duty.

Since Niger’s border with Benin was closed in July 2023, authorities have relied on the Burkina Faso corridor as an alternative. While initially framed as a strategic rerouting, the reality has proven increasingly perilous. Gamaté described the corridor as a “death trap for transporters,” a route that has cost lives and inflicted major financial losses.

He urged authorities to “soften their stance” and reconsider using the Beninese corridor, which he described as “the shortest, safest, and most cost-effective.” He stressed that this proposal is not a political statement, but a pragmatic solution to save lives and sustain the national economy.

“If Presidents Tiani and Talon have a personal issue, they should leave us out of it,” he declared, noting that Benin has reopened its side of the border and is signaling readiness for normalization. For Gamaté, this is now a humanitarian and economic emergency.

Heavy economic toll

According to the union leader, the situation for transport workers has become dire. He described drivers stranded for months under precarious conditions, vehicle owners suffering heavy losses, and ongoing fixed costs despite the drop in activity. “A truck that made four trips a month before the crisis now barely manages one trip every three months,” he warned. And when a truck is destroyed, neither the state nor insurance companies cover the losses.