The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has deployed a regional standby force—backed heavily by Nigeria—to Benin Republic after a faction of soldiers attempted to overthrow President Patrice Talon in the early hours of Sunday.
The swift regional response followed chaos in Porto-Novo and Cotonou when a small group of mutinous soldiers stormed the national broadcaster, ORTB, announced the dissolution of state institutions, and declared that the military had seized power. The group, allegedly led by Lieutenant Colonel Pascal Tigri, branded themselves the “Military Committee for Refoundation” and promised a “new era” for Beninese citizens.
Gunfire was reported at Camp Guezo, close to President Talon’s official residence, prompting foreign missions—especially the French Embassy—to issue stay-indoors advisories to their nationals.
But the coup attempt quickly collapsed.
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Benin’s loyalist troops moved rapidly to retake all strategic locations, expel the rebel soldiers from state television, and restore order around the president. Government forces confirmed that the dissident faction never gained control of the presidency, the armed forces, or any major installations.
By midday, the Beninese government had informed ECOWAS that the mutiny was being contained—triggering a robust response from the regional bloc.
In two separate statements, ECOWAS condemned the attempted takeover as an “unconstitutional and unacceptable subversion of the will of the Beninese people.”
The regional body vowed to defend democracy in Benin by all means necessary—including the immediate deployment of its standby force. Following consultations among heads of state, the ECOWAS Authority ordered the mobilisation of troops from Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana.
According to the statement:
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The deployment was authorised under Article 25(e) of the 1999 ECOWAS Protocol on Conflict Prevention
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The force will support Benin’s government and the Republican Army
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The mission aims to safeguard constitutional order and territorial integrity
Nigeria leads the deployment, sending its own contingent into Benin within hours of the announcement.
Nigeria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a strongly worded condemnation, describing the attempted power grab as a “direct assault on democracy and constitutional order.”
The statement praised Beninese security forces for their “courage and professionalism” in protecting the president and swiftly repelling the mutiny.
Nigeria further reaffirmed its commitment to:
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Defending democracy in West Africa
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Supporting ECOWAS actions
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Maintaining regional stability
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Working closely with Benin as “a brotherly nation”
The Federal Government also urged all actors in Benin to remain calm and pursue political dialogue only through constitutional and peaceful means.
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With ECOWAS troops now stationed in Benin and loyalist forces firmly in control, the attempted coup has been decisively halted—reinforcing the regional pushback against unconstitutional military takeovers across West Africa.
