IS-Sahel Attacks Niger-Benin Oil Pipeline in Western Niger

Islamic State Sahel Province (IS-Sahel) attacked and sabotaged a section of the Niger-Benin international oil pipeline infrastructure in western Niger. The attack, part of IS-Sahel's sustained campaign against economic infrastructure in western Niger's Tillabéri and surrounding regions, was documented in a comprehensive summary of Sahel fighting from March 21–April 4. The Niger-Benin pipeline, which began exports through the West African Pipeline to the Benin coast at Seme-Kpodji, has been repeatedly targeted by armed groups seeking to undermine the Niger junta's oil revenue — a key pillar of the CNSP government's economic strategy following Western sanctions and aid suspensions after the July 2023 coup. The attack compounds the junta's fiscal pressures and highlights IS-Sahel's expanding operational scope beyond traditional armed patrols and military convoys to economic infrastructure.