West African troops were deployed to Benin on Sunday after what the country’s president described as an unsuccessful coup attempt.
Benin’s president, Patrice Talon, said the situation was “totally under control” after security forces moved in to stop a group of soldiers who attacked state institutions.
However, Ecowas, the West African regional bloc, announced that it had ordered the immediate deployment of elements of its standby force to Benin, a nation of about 14.5 million people.
According to the bloc, soldiers from Ghana, Ivory Coast, Nigeria and Sierra Leone were being deployed to “support the government and the Republican Army of Benin to preserve constitutional order and the territorial integrity of the Republic of Benin”.
Nigeria’s air force also carried out strikes in Benin, the Nigerian president’s office confirmed.
Responding to two requests from Benin’s government, President Bola Tinubu “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,” his office said.
Earlier on Sunday, Benin’s interior minister, Alassane Seidou, said a group of soldiers had “launched a mutiny” aimed at destabilising the state and its institutions.
The soldiers appeared on state TV to announce the dissolution of the government in what became the latest in a growing list of coups and attempted coups across West Africa.
Calling themselves the Military Committee for Refoundation, the group announced the removal of the president and all state institutions, and declared Lt Col Pascal Tigri as president of the military committee.
President Talon said the rapid mobilisation of loyal forces “allowed us to thwart these adventurers,” in remarks broadcast after the government regained control of state TV.
“This treachery will not go unpunished,” he added.
The attempted coup marks another challenge to democratic stability in a region where militaries have taken power in Niger, Burkina Faso, Mali, Guinea and, recently, Guinea-Bissau.
The development also surprised many observers, as Benin has not experienced a successful coup since 1972.
Government spokesperson Wilfried Léandre Houngbedji confirmed that 14 people had been arrested as of Sunday afternoon, though no further details were given.
The attempt occurred as Benin prepared for an April presidential election, which would end the tenure of Talon, 67, who has governed since 2016.
In their televised announcement, the coup plotters cited a deteriorating security situation in northern Benin “coupled with the disregard and neglect of our fallen brothers-in-arms”.
Talon has been praised for economic improvements, but the country has faced rising attacks from jihadist groups that have devastated parts of Mali and Burkina Faso.
