Niger has resumed oil exports after reaching an agreement with neighboring Benin to reopen a key pipeline, government officials said Monday.

Crude shipments were halted in June when Niger closed the China National Petroleum Corp.-operated pipeline linking the Agadem oil field to the Sèmè Kpodji terminal in Benin. The pipeline closure followed a border dispute between the two West African nations.

"We've reached an agreement," Benin Energy Minister Samou Adambi said. "Loading of crude started this morning."

Nigerien Prime Minister Ali Lamine Zeine's office confirmed the resumption of exports.

Niger relies on the pipeline, built by CNPC as part of a $4.6 billion investment in the country's petroleum industry, to ship its oil. The country uses oil revenue to repay a $400 million loan from the Chinese state-owned company.