Cotonou, Benin – 7 December 2025 – In a swift and decisive response to an attempted military takeover, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has authorised the immediate deployment of elements from its regional Standby Force to the Republic of Benin. The move, announced on Sunday evening, aims to bolster the government’s efforts to restore order and safeguard the nation’s constitutional framework.
The Chair of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government issued the order following reports of a short-lived mutiny by dissident soldiers, who briefly seized control of state television to declare the ousting of President Patrice Talon. The plotters, led by Lieutenant-Colonel Tigri Pascal, proclaimed the suspension of the constitution, the closure of all land borders, and the shutdown of Benin’s airspace, citing grievances over the president’s governance. However, loyalist forces swiftly regained control, arresting at least 14 individuals involved in the attempt, according to government spokesperson Wilfried Léandre Houngbédji.
President Talon, addressing the nation from a secure location, described the incident as a “thwarted mutiny” and affirmed that the situation was “totally under control”. He vowed retribution against the perpetrators and emphasised that Benin’s democratic institutions remained intact. Explosions were reported in the capital, Cotonou, as Nigerian Air Force jets conducted airstrikes on the Togbin military base in coordination with ECOWAS protocols.
ECOWAS’s Statement No. 2 on Benin, released from its Abuja headquarters, condemned the attempted coup in the strongest terms, labelling it a “subversion of the will of the people” and a direct threat to regional stability. The bloc pledged unwavering support to the Beninese authorities, including through military means if required, and held the plot’s leaders individually and collectively responsible for any loss of life or property.
The deployed contingent will comprise troops from Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Côte d’Ivoire, and Ghana, operating under the 1999 ECOWAS Protocol on Conflict Prevention, Management, Resolution, Peacekeeping, and Security. Their mandate is to assist the Republican Army of Benin in preserving constitutional order and territorial integrity, amid fears of spillover from recent unrest in neighbouring Guinea-Bissau.
This intervention marks a rare proactive deployment by ECOWAS in recent years, echoing its hardline stance against unconstitutional changes of government seen in Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger. The African Union has echoed the condemnation, urging all parties to uphold democratic norms. Nigeria, as ECOWAS’s heavyweight member, has separately denounced the plot and called for calm, reaffirming its commitment to the bloc’s protocols on democracy and good governance.
As armoured vehicles patrolled Cotonou’s streets and warplanes circled overhead, residents expressed a mix of relief and apprehension. “We thought it was over, but now with foreign troops coming, who knows what tomorrow brings?” said one local trader, speaking on condition of anonymity.
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