The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has announced the immediate deployment of its standby force to the Republic of Benin following the recent foiling of an attempted military coup in the country.
In a statement released on Sunday, the regional bloc said the troops, including personnel from neighbouring Nigeria, are being mobilised to support the Beninese government and help protect the country’s constitutional order.
In its earlier reaction on Sunday, the West African bloc had condemned the coup attempt, calling for full respect of the Constitution of Benin.
It also saluted the efforts of the Government and the Republican Army in bringing the situation under control.
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ECOWAS said the decision to deploy standby force is in pursuant to the provisions of relevant ECOWAS instruments, in particular Article 25(e) of the 1999 Protocol Relating to the Mechanism for Conflict Prevention, Management, Resolution Peacekeeping and Security.
“After consultation among members of the Mediation and Security Council at the level of Heads of State and Government, the Chair of ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government has ordered the deployment of elements of the ECOWAS Standby Force to the Republic of Benin with immediate effect.
“The Regional Force shall be made up of troops from the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Republic of Sierra Leone, Republic of Côte d’Ivoire, and Republic of Ghana.
“The Force shall support the Government and the Republican Army of Benin to preserve constitutional order and the territorial integrity of the Republic of Benin,” the statement read in part.
Nigerian jet strikes in Benin
Already, the Nigerian Air Force has struck targets in Benin, in apparent coordination with Beninese authorities working to contain a coup attempt.
It was not clear what the targets of the strikes were.
But President Bola Ahmed Tinubu commended the gallantry of Nigeria’s military on Sunday for responding swiftly to the request by the Government of Benin Republic to save its 35-year-old democracy from coup plotters who struck at dawn today.
Benin’s government had earlier on Sunday said that it had thwarted an attempted coup, after a group of soldiers announced on state television that they had ousted President Patrice Talon.
Tinubu hails Nigerian military
Meanwhile, President Bola Tinubu of Nigeria has commended the gallantry of the country’s military on Sunday for responding swiftly to the request by the Government of Benin Republic to save its 35-year-old democracy from coup plotters who struck at dawn on Sunday.
According to the statement by the Nigerian Presidency, acting on two separate requests from the Government of Benin, President Tinubu first ordered Nigerian Air Force fighter jets to enter the country and take over the airspace to help dislodge the coup plotters from the National TV and a military camp where they had regrouped.
It said the Republic of Benin, through its Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in a Note Verbal, requested immediate Nigerian air support “in view of the urgency and seriousness of the situation and to safeguard the constitutional order, protect national institutions and ensure the security of the population.”
“In the second request, the authorities in Benin requested the deployment of Nigerian Air Force assets within Beninoise airspace for surveillance and rapid intervention operations under Benin-led coordination.
“The Benin government also requested Nigerian ground forces, ‘strictly for missions approved by the Beninese Command authority in support of the protection of constitutional institutions and the containment of armed Groups.
‘Under Control’
On television, eight soldiers with assault rifles, wearing berets of various colours and calling themselves the “Military Committee for Refoundation” (CMR), proclaimed a lieutenant colonel “president of the CMR”.
They justified the attempted power grab by citing the “continuous deterioration of the security situation in northern Benin”, the “neglect of soldiers killed in action and their families left to fend for themselves,” as well as “unjust promotions at the expense of the most deserving”.
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), of which Benin is a member, called the soldiers’ actions “unconstitutional” and a “subversion of the will of the Beninese people”.
Benin’s political history has been marked by several coups and attempted coups since its independence from France in 1960.
Talon, who came to power in 2016, is due to reach the end of his second term in 2026, the maximum allowed by the constitution.
The main opposition party has been excluded from the race to succeed him, and instead, the ruling party will vie for power against a so-called “moderate” opposition.
Talon has been praised for bringing economic development to Benin, but is regularly accused by his critics of authoritarianism.
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