4 neighboring countries are sending troops to maintain order.
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has decided to send reserve forces to Benin following an attempted coup. This is stated in an ECOWAS announcement.
Regional forces are to be formed from troops from Nigeria, Côte d'Ivoire, Sierra Leone, and Ghana, according to the report. The military will be sent to Benin to support its government and army "in order to maintain constitutional order and territorial integrity" of the country.
ECOWAS is a trade and economic union established in 1975 by 15 African countries, including Benin (in 2024, Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso left the community after being sanctioned by the organization following military coups in those states). ECOWAS rapid deployment forces were established in 1990.
The office of the President of Nigeria also stated that they received two requests from Porto-Novo regarding the deployment of Nigerian fighter jets in Benin's airspace "for surveillance and rapid response operations." Nigerian President Bola Tinubu issued the corresponding order "to help displace the conspirators from national television and the military camp where they regrouped."
Earlier, a group of military personnel calling themselves the "Military Committee for Renewal" (Comité militaire pour la refondation) announced on the air of Benin's state television the removal of President Patrice Talon and the dissolution of all state institutions. The military reported that Lieutenant Colonel Pascal Tigri has been appointed chairman of the military committee. According to Jeune Afrique, several individuals attempted to storm the president's residence, but the attack was repelled.
Shortly thereafter, the authorities of Benin announced that the coup attempt had failed. Talon reported that the rapid mobilization of forces loyal to the government "prevented these adventurers" and the situation is "completely under control." "This betrayal will not go unpunished," the president added. According to government spokesperson Wilfried Ungbedji, 14 people have been arrested in connection with the coup attempt. Sources from La Nouvelle Tribune reported that 12 of them participated in the storming of the national television building.
The coup attempt occurred against the backdrop of preparations for presidential elections, which will take place in Benin in April 2026. Next year marks the end of the second term of 67-year-old Talon, who has been in power since 2016. The current head of state has received high praise from his supporters for the economic growth achieved during his tenure, but his government has also been criticized for suppressing dissent, notes the BBC. Talon does not intend to run for a third term.
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