200 West African troops assisting Benin in post-coup "clean-up"

Around 200 troops from West Africa are currently assisting Benin in stabilising the country following a weekend coup attempt, the Nigerian foreign minister confirmed on Thursday. The deployment includes personnel from Nigeria and Ivory Coast, sent to support Benin’s security forces in a post-coup “clean-up” operation.

The small West African nation faced a failed putsch on Sunday, prompting rapid mobilization from Nigeria, Ivory Coast, and France to back the civilian government. “There are currently around 200 soldiers present, who came to lend a hand to the Beninese defense and security forces as part of the sweep and clean-up operation,” Foreign Minister Olushegun Adjadi Bakari told reporters during a press conference in Abuja.

An Ivorian security source confirmed that fifty troops were deployed from Abidjan as part of the mission, which ECOWAS, the regional bloc, has said will also involve soldiers from Ghana and Sierra Leone. Nigerian forces reportedly arrived in Benin on Sunday, just hours after the attempted coup began. French special forces also provided support, according to Benin’s republican guard.

Bakari emphasized that by the time Beninese authorities requested assistance, the coup had largely failed. “They started the coup around 3 a.m., attacking the president’s residence. Our national defence forces blocked them immediately,” he said, speaking on the sidelines of the ongoing ECOWAS summit in Abuja. He added that discussions regarding Nigeria and other ECOWAS countries’ intervention took place after Benin had already repelled most of the putschists.

The Nigerian air force played a critical role in targeting alleged coup participants who had taken positions in a military camp in Cotonou, one of Benin’s most densely populated areas. Beninese commanders feared that a ground confrontation could endanger civilians. “President Talon requested aerial support to ensure a surgical strike, destroy the armoured vehicles in the barracks, and prevent them from taking over strategic points like the airport,” Bakari explained.

The foreign minister noted that the duration of the ECOWAS troop presence in Benin will be determined in the coming days, stressing that their operation is being conducted in close coordination with Beninese defense and security forces. The deployment underscores the region’s commitment to supporting civilian governments and preventing destabilizing military takeovers in West Africa.