West African troops were sent to Benin on Sunday following what the nation's president described as an unsuccessful coup attempt.
Leader Asserts Control After Security Forces Respond
Benin’s president, Patrice Talon, stated on Sunday that the circumstances was “completely managed” after military and police took action to halt a coup attempt by a group of military personnel who attacked state institutions.
West African Alliance Orders Force Deployment
However, The Economic Community of West African States – West Africa’s political and economic union – announced it had ordered the immediate dispatch of units of its reserve troops to the country, which has a inhabitants of about 14.5 million.
“Soldiers from the Republic of Ghana, Ivory Coast, the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the Republic of Sierra Leone were dispatched to ‘support the government and the Republican Army of Benin to preserve constitutional order and the territorial integrity of the Republic of Benin’,” the bloc stated in a release.
Air Strikes Conducted by Neighboring Country
A neighboring country's air corps also targeted locations in the territory, a source informed the press on Sunday. An military spokesperson commented this action was “in line with regional agreements and the alliance's military directives”.
It was not clear what the objectives of the strikes had been.
Mutiny Targeting Government Destabilization
Earlier on Sunday a group of military members had “initiated an uprising”, Benin’s security chief declared, “with the aim of undermine the state and its structures”.
The soldiers had been broadcast on the national television network to announce the dissolution of the administration in the most recent of several overthrows and attempted coups in the region.
The faction, which called itself the Armed Forces Restoration Council, announced the removal of the president and all state institutions. Lieutenant Colonel Pascal Tigri was appointed head of the junta, the soldiers said.
Loyalist Troops Thwart Plot
The rapid deployment of units loyal to the administration “allowed us to thwart these adventurers”, Talon said in comments aired on national television after the government regained control of the station.
“This treachery will not go unpunished,” he continued.
Latest Challenge to Area Stability
The attempted coup was the latest challenge to democratic rule in the area, where armed forces have in recent years taken control in Benin’s bordering nations the Republic of Niger and Burkina Faso, as well as in the Republic of Mali, the Republic of Guinea and, only last month, the Republic of Guinea-Bissau.
But, it was a unexpected event in the nation, where the last successful coup occurred in 1972.
Arrests Made in Relation to Events
A government spokesperson, earlier said that 14 people had been detained in relation to the coup attempt as of that afternoon, without offering further specifics.
Attempt During Election Preparations
The incident occurred while Benin was preparing for a presidential election in April that would mark the end of the tenure of Talon, 67, who has held power since 2016.
In their broadcast announcement, the individuals behind the attempt mentioned the worsening safety conditions in the country's north “coupled with the lack of care and attention of our deceased fellow soldiers”.
The president has been praised for stimulating the nation's finances, but the country has also seen an rise in assaults by extremist groups that have wreaked havoc in neighboring Mali and Burkina Faso.
