A line of thousands of trucks stretches back 25 km from the muddy shores of the Niger River that marks the frontier.
The Malanville border crossing in northern Benin is one of the busiest in West Africa
Drivers of truck of food items are seen stranded for several weeks .they hang their clothes between trucks. Away from border guards, small traders pile goods onto wooden boats to cross the rain-lashed river.
The backlog of Trucks with food, humanitarian aid and industrial materials usually flow freely into neighboring Niger which is one of the world›s poorest countries
A resident who spoke concerning the incident complained bitterly on the suffering of the citizens,
“We don’t know if we’ve been taken hostage or what,” said Nigerien trucker Soulemane, who has been stuck at the border with his cargo of sugar and oil for over 20 days. “There’s no food, there’s no water, there’s nowhere to sleep.”
The blockade is meant to pressure the junta to restore President Mohamed Bazoum to office. In the process, it has driven up the price of food inside Niger during the lean season, hampered industry and threatened a shortage of medical supplies, aid agencies, officials and residents said.
Residents said there was still food on the shelves in Niamey, but prices had shot up. Since sanctions were announced, the price of rice has increased by 21%, while sorghum is up 14%, the WFP said. About 3 million people are struggling to afford one meal per day. The crisis could push a further 7 million into the same category, the WFP said.
“We could end up with 10 million people who are not able to feed themselves,” Madjiangar said. “Humanitarian needs are increasing.”
UNICEF containers are stranded at the border and in Benin›s Cotonou port. Cold-chain equipment and vaccines risk losing their effectiveness. These include doses against the deadly rotavirus infection in children, the agency said in emailed comments.
However, ECOWAS and the junta remain at loggerheads. The bloc has threatened to intervene militarily if talks and other efforts to pressure the junta fail.
