Africa Intervention force ordered to Benin - coup attempt foiled
Immediately after a foiled coup attempt in Benin, the West African community of states Ecowas has decided to send a military intervention force to stabilize the situation. The soldiers, including some from neighboring Nigeria, are to support the government and protect the constitutional order of the country, as Ecowas announced.
08.12.2025, 06:34
SDA
The President of the regional power Nigeria, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, explained that the Nigerian Air Force was deployed at Benin's request to control the airspace and carry out rapid missions in coordination with the neighboring country. The armed forces had acted within the framework of the Ecowas mandate and thus defended the constitutional order in Benin. The small West African country had also requested ground troops to protect the government and counter armed groups. Nigerian ground troops are now already in Benin.
Benin's president gives the all-clear
Nigerian fighter planes had helped to drive the coup plotters away from the headquarters of the state television station and from a military base, the report continued. Media reports spoke of explosions following suspected air strikes in the port city of Cotonou, the seat of government.
According to media reports, Benin's President Patrice Talon said on Sunday evening that the situation was now completely under control. He thanked the armed forces and the military leadership for remaining loyal to the country and the constitution. The attempted coup will not go unpunished, he said on state television.
Coup plotters with announcement on state television
Earlier, shots had been fired near the presidential palace. A group of military officers occupied the headquarters of the state television station and declared Talon deposed. The country's borders were closed and Lt. Col. Pascal Tigri was appointed president of a "military reconstruction committee", it was reported. Interior Minister Alassane Seydou later announced that the intervention of the armed forces had made it possible to thwart the attempted coup. It is said to have been just a small group of mutinous soldiers.
It was initially unclear whether there were any casualties during the attempted coup and the operation against the coup plotters. Nothing was initially known about any arrests either.
In addition to Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Ghana and the Ivory Coast are to participate in the Ecowas intervention force for Benin. It was initially unclear how many soldiers and what equipment the force would comprise.
Benin has so far been one of the more stable democracies
Benin, an agricultural country with around 15 million inhabitants and a large cotton production, is one of the poorest countries in the world. The former French colony was previously one of the continent's more stable democracies. Benin managed a peaceful transition from dictatorship to a democratic government in 1991. The neighboring countries of Burkina Faso and Niger to the north, where there are major problems with Islamist-motivated terrorism, have recently been seen as a source of potential instability.
