Nigerian President Bola Tinubu has confirmed that the country has deployed fighter jets and ground troops to neighboring Benin to help stop an attempted coup by a group of Beninese soldiers.
In a statement on Sunday, Tinubu’s office said Nigeria intervened after Benin’s President Patrice Talon formally requested support, including “immediate Nigerian air support.” According to the statement, Tinubu first ordered fighter jets to enter Benin and “take control of the airspace to dislodge the coup plotters from the national television station and a military base where they had regrouped.”
Ground troops were sent later, after Benin’s government requested assistance in “protecting constitutional institutions and containing armed groups.” Tinubu praised the Nigerian forces for helping to “stabilize a neighboring country.”
Benin President Says Coup Foiled
Earlier on Sunday, President Talon appeared on national television to declare that his security forces had successfully blocked the attempted takeover. He said loyalist forces had “stood firm, regained our positions, and cleared the final pockets of resistance held by the mutineers.”
“This mobilization allowed us to defeat these adventurers and prevent the worst for our country,” Talon added. He also expressed concern for the victims of the coup attempt and for individuals detained by the fleeing mutineers, though he did not provide further details.
Arrests and Military Details
The attempted coup is a rare challenge to Benin’s democratic stability. While neighboring countries like Niger, Burkina Faso, Mali, Guinea, and most recently Guinea-Bissau have seen military takeovers in recent years, the last successful coup in Benin occurred in 1972.
Government spokesperson Wilfried Leandre Houngbedji confirmed that 14 people had been arrested in connection with the plot, most of them active-duty soldiers, with one former military officer also detained. It remains unclear whether Lieutenant Colonel Pascal Tigri, believed to be the coup leader, has been apprehended.
Foreign Minister Olushegun Adjadi Bakari said the mutineers had only briefly seized control of the state television station. While gunfire was reported in parts of Cotonou, the country’s commercial capital, residents noted that the city had largely returned to calm by early afternoon.
Regional and International Response
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the African Union condemned the coup attempt. ECOWAS announced the deployment of its standby force, including troops from Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Ivory Coast, and Ghana, to assist Benin in “preserving constitutional order and territorial integrity.”
Context Ahead of Presidential Election
The coup attempt comes as Benin prepares for a presidential election in April, expected to mark the end of President Talon’s tenure. Last month, the country adopted a new constitution introducing a Senate and extending the presidential term from five to seven years. Critics have described the reforms as a power grab by the ruling coalition, which has selected Minister of Economy and Finance Romuald Wadagni as its candidate.
Meanwhile, the opposition Democrats party, founded by Talon’s predecessor Thomas Boni Yayi, had its proposed candidate rejected due to insufficient legislative backing.