ECOWAS Deploys Standby Force to Benin Following Coup Attempt

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has authorised the immediate deployment of its Standby Force to the Republic of Benin in a bid to safeguard constitutional governance and protect the country’s territorial integrity.

In a statement issued by the ECOWAS Commission in Abuja on Sunday and copied to the Ghana News Agency, the directive was confirmed by the Chair of the Authority of Heads of State and Government after high-level consultations within the Mediation and Security Council.

The Commission explained that the intervention is grounded in Article 25(e) of the 1999 Protocol on the Mechanism for Conflict Prevention, Management, Resolution, Peacekeeping and Security, which empowers the bloc to act swiftly in situations that threaten democratic order and national stability.

The Regional Force will consist of troops from Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Côte d’Ivoire, and Ghana, forming a coalition designed to provide operational and strategic support to the Government and the Republican Army of Benin.

ECOWAS assured that the deployment is intended to reinforce stability, strengthen state institutions, and preserve the sovereign and constitutional order of Benin.

The move follows a coup announcement on Sunday by Lieutenant-Colonel Tigri Pascal and a group of soldiers, who claimed to have overthrown President Patrice Talon. Appearing on national television, they declared the suspension of political parties and closure of all land, air, and sea borders.

Observers note that public discontent over the recent extension of the presidential tenure from five to seven years may have contributed to the attempted overthrow.