200 regional troops deployed to Benin after failed coup

Hunt for Benin coup plotter widens after failed takeover

About 200 West African soldiers, mainly from Nigeria and Côte d’Ivoire, remain deployed in Benin Republic following Sunday’s failed coup attempt, Olushegun Bakari, the country’s Foreign Affairs Minister has confirmed.

Speaking on Thursday in Abuja alongside Yusuf Tuggar, Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bakari said the troops were sent under the framework of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to support Beninese defence and security forces in what he described as a “sweep and clean-up operation” after the collapse of the attempted military takeover.

This marks the first official confirmation of the scale of foreign troop deployment since the coup attempt was foiled.

Read also: What to know as Nigeria pushes forward on military deployment to Benin Republic

It remains unclear whether some of the regional forces have since been withdrawn.

The mutiny, which unfolded in the early hours of Sunday, saw rebel soldiers seize a military base and storm the headquarters of the state broadcaster in Cotonou, where they briefly announced a takeover of power.

The attempt was swiftly crushed after loyalist forces, supported by Nigerian fighter jets, regained control of key installations, including the national television and radio station and a military base near the airport.

Nigeria, Benin’s eastern neighbour and the largest military power in West Africa, described the coup attempt as a “direct assault on democracy” and confirmed that its forces reached Benin the same day at the request of the Beninese government.

Bakari said that by the time Benin formally sought regional assistance under ECOWAS protocols, the coup had already been neutralised on the ground by Beninese forces.

What was required at that stage, he explained, was targeted aerial support to dislodge remaining pockets of resistance without endangering civilians.

“When we started discussions for the intervention of Nigeria and the others, our military had already pushed them back.

“What was needed was precise aerial back-up to carry out a surgical operation targeting key enemy positions”, Bakari said.

An ECOWAS security deployment was subsequently activated, with troops drawn from Nigeria, Ghana, Sierra Leone and Côte d’Ivoire tasked with securing strategic facilities and preventing any resurgence of violence.

A security source in Abidjan told AFP that around 50 Ivorian soldiers were among those deployed, bringing the total regional presence to roughly 200 troops.

Tuggar said rapid coordination between Nigeria and Benin at diplomatic, military and intelligence levels played a decisive role in thwarting the plot.

Discussions are ongoing over how long the regional forces will remain in the country, with Bakari stressing that any decision would be taken in close consultation with Benin’s security services, whom he praised for their “bravery and professionalism”.

Pascal Tigri, leader of the plot, is believed to have fled into neighbouring Togo. Two senior military officers abducted during the uprising have since been rescued, but several soldiers who appeared on state television to announce the suspension of the constitution remain on the run.

At least one civilian casualty has been confirmed as the wife of President Patrice Talon’s chief military adviser was killed during the violence.

The rebel soldiers accused Talon of mismanaging the country, particularly citing what they described as the deteriorating security situation in northern Benin, where jihadist violence linked to Islamic State and al-Qaeda has spilled over from Niger and Burkina Faso. Benin’s army has suffered repeated losses in that region in recent years.

Despite these grievances, there has been no sign of popular support for the coup attempt.

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