Troops and Warplanes Deployed in Benin After ‘Failed Coup Attempt’
London, UK, December 9, 2025
ECOWAS Reacts Decisively: Troops and Warplanes Deployed in Benin After ‘Failed Coup Attempt’, Signaling Regional Shift Against Military Takeovers
Headline Points:
• Troops and Warplanes Deployed in Benin After ‘Failed Coup Attempt’ by a group of soldiers who seized state institutions.
• The deployment was initiated by the Nigerian military, which sent fighter jets and ground forces to support Benin’s President Patrice Talon.
• Nigeria’s intervention was quickly backed by the regional bloc ECOWAS, which sent standby forces from Ghana, Ivory Coast, and Sierra Leone.
• The swift, decisive military response contrasts sharply with ECOWAS’s recent inaction in similar military takeovers across the West African region.
• The deployment signals a robust new commitment from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to defend constitutional order and stability.
In a dramatic and decisive show of regional force, Troops and Warplanes Deployed in Benin After ‘Failed Coup Attempt’, thwarting a military takeover that threatened to destabilize the small West African nation.
A group of soldiers, calling themselves the Military Committee for Refoundation, had seized the national TV station and announced the dissolution of the government.
However, their efforts were rapidly suppressed due to an immediate and robust response coordinated across the West African region, signalling a significant shift in how the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) intends to deal with the spate of military takeovers that have plagued the region.
The quick response was primarily led by Nigeria. President Bola Tinubu’s office confirmed that he had ordered Nigerian Air Force fighter jets to enter Benin’s airspace to dislodge the coup plotters from the national television building and a military camp where they had regrouped.
Ground forces were also sent for “missions approved” by Benin’s government. This aggressive and effective intervention by its powerful neighbour was instrumental in quickly quelling the uprising.
Benin’s President Patrice Talon was able to confirm that the situation was “totally under control” within hours of the initial attempt.
Crucially, Nigeria’s intervention was immediately sanctioned and backed by the regional bloc ECOWAS.
The organization quickly sent elements of its standby force, including troops from Ghana, Ivory Coast, and Sierra Leone, to “support the government and the Republican Army of Benin to preserve constitutional order.”
The collective action taken by ECOWAS in Benin stands in stark contrast to the bloc’s recent struggles to enforce democracy in other member states that have experienced successful coups, such as Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso.
This swift deployment of troops and warplanes is seen as a major, intentional message from ECOWAS that the era of tolerance for military takeovers in the region may be ending.
The speed of the international response has provided a clear, successful model for defending constitutional order and is an effort to draw a firm line against further democratic backsliding.
For the people of Benin, the rapid regional support has averted a full-blown military crisis, reinforcing the fragile stability of West Africa’s democratic institutions.
