ECOWAS Sends Troops to Benin After Failed Coup Bid as Talon Declares Control

Overview

• President Patrice Talon said on national television that the situation is completely under control and urged residents to resume normal life, vowing that the perpetrators will be held accountable.
• ECOWAS announced the deployment of forces from Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Ivory Coast and Ghana to support Benin’s government and armed forces in preserving constitutional order.
• Earlier, a group calling itself the Committee for the Refoundation said on the state broadcaster that Talon was deposed, declared the constitution suspended and dissolved state institutions before the TV signal was cut.
• Benin’s interior minister said the attempt was a limited insurrection by a small group and that loyal forces frustrated the plot, with authorities stating that Talon and his family are safe.
• Access to the presidency and the national broadcaster in Cotonou was blocked for hours, and the French Embassy reported gunfire near Camp Guezo and advised its citizens to stay home.