ECOWAS has ordered the immediate deployment of its Standby Force to the Republic of Benin, following Sunday morning’s failed coup attempt in the country.
The directive was announced in a fresh statement released by the ECOWAS Commission, just hours after its initial reaction to the crisis.
The intervention follows wide consultations with regional Heads of State, the Mediation and Security Council, and top defence officials.
According to ECOWAS, the deployment is anchored on Article 25(e) of the 1999 ECOWAS Protocol on Conflict Prevention, Management, Resolution, Peacekeeping, and Security, empowering the bloc to act swiftly when constitutional order is threatened.
“The Chair of the ECOWAS Authority has ordered the deployment of elements of the ECOWAS Standby Force to the Republic of Benin with immediate effect,”
the statement said.
The multinational force will include troops from:
Nigeria
Sierra Leone
Côte d’Ivoire
Ghana
ECOWAS explained that the mission will support Benin’s government and armed forces in preserving constitutional order and protecting the country’s territorial integrity.
Nigeria’s Swift Response Praised
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who currently chairs ECOWAS, commended the rapid intervention of Nigeria’s Armed Forces after Benin urgently requested military assistance.
Benin’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued two formal requests seeking immediate:
Nigerian Air Force support to secure its airspace
Surveillance and rapid-intervention missions,
And limited ground-force assistance for protecting key democratic institutions.
Nigeria complied promptly.
General Olufemi Oluyede, Nigeria’s Chief of Defence Staff, confirmed that Nigerian troops are already operating inside Benin, following Tinubu’s orders.
“Ours is to comply with the Commander-in-Chief’s directive,”he stated.
The coup attempt, which saw plotters seize the national television station before regrouping in a military camp, was swiftly neutralized.