Nigeria confirms military intervention in Benin to stabilise country after failed coup attempt
Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu confirms troops were sent to Benin at the government’s request after a failed coup, as ECOWAS deploys a regional force to help preserve constitutional order.
Nigeria's President Bola Tinubu has confirmed that Nigerian forces intervened to help stabilise neighbouring Benin following a brief but alarming coup attempt on Sunday.
Tinubu revealed the intervention in a post on X, explaining that Nigerian troops were deployed after Benin’s government requested assistance.
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"On my orders, the Nigerian armed forces stood gallantly as a defender and protector of constitutional order in the Republic of Benin on the invitation of the government," said Tinubu.
He emphasised that the deployment was not a unilateral action, but was carried out in line with regional protocols governing how ECOWAS members respond to threats against democratic governance.
"Our armed forces acted within the ambit of the ECOWAS @ecowas_cedeao Protocol on Democracy and Good Governance. They have helped stabilise a neighbouring country and have made us proud of their commitment to sustaining our democratic values and ideals since 1999," Tinubu added.
Alarm across region
The unrest in Benin began early on Sunday when a group of soldiers seized the national broadcaster and claimed to have removed President Patrice Talon from power.
The announcement immediately triggered alarm across a region already unsettled by multiple coups. Loyalist forces responded swiftly, moving in to challenge the rebels.
President Talon later appeared on national television to reassure citizens that the attempted overthrow had failed.
"I would like to assure you that the situation is completely under control and therefore invite you to calmly go about your activities starting this very evening," he said on Benin TV.
Benin authorities reported that at least 14 officers linked to the attempted takeover were taken into custody as calm returned to the capital.
The failed coup has heightened concerns about political instability in West Africa, where a string of recent coups in Niger, Burkina Faso, Mali, Guinea, and Guinea-Bissau has raised fears of democratic decline.
Following the Sunday incident, ECOWAS ordered the immediate deployment of its standby force to Benin.
"The regional forces shall be made up of troops from the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Republic of Sierra Leone, Cote D’Ivoire and the Republic of Ghana," ECOWAS said in a statement.
"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."
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