Why Beijing’s US$4.5 billion Niger-Benin oil pipeline is being attacked by rebels
Chinese nationals warned to avoid high-risk areas after infrastructure becomes a primary target for rebels seeking to halt military junta
The warning follows recent attacks on the pipeline and a predawn assault on Air Base 101 and Niamey International Airport by Islamic State militants, who damaged several aircraft before being repelled with assistance from Russia’s Africa Corps.
The 1,980km (1,230-mile) pipeline to transport oil from landlocked Niger’s Agadem oilfields to Seme, an Atlantic port in Benin and operated by China’s CNPC, has become a major target for rebels seeking to choke off the military junta’s key revenue source.
While ambassador Lu Guijun pledged Beijing’s utmost support to safeguard “overseas compatriots”, the escalating violence is severely testing China’s traditional policy of non-interference in the face of mounting strategic and financial risks.
China finds itself in the dilemma of either changing its non-interference diplomatic policy to safeguard its massive energy investments or risking a withdrawal from a costly project after years of investment.