West Africa has been profoundly affected by political instability, witnessing a series of coups since the start of the decade across the Sahel region, Guinea, and recently Guinea-Bissau.

Several military juntas, notably in Burkina Faso, Niger, and Mali, have declared a break from France, the former colonial power, since seizing power.

Beyond providing aid to the Beninese military, the Élysée Palace indicated that President Emmanuel Macron undertook a “coordination effort” and “information exchange with regional countries.”

On Sunday, President Macron also held discussions with his Beninese counterpart, Patrice Talon, who was the target of the coup plotters, as well as with the presidents of Nigeria and Sierra Leone, with the latter currently chairing ECOWAS.

“France extended its full political backing to ECOWAS, which made a very significant effort this weekend,” a Macron advisor informed journalists.

Early Sunday morning, eight military officers appeared on Beninese television, declaring they had removed Patrice Talon from office.

After a day of uncertainty in Cotonou, the head of state asserted that the situation was “totally under control.” Beninese authorities subsequently reported “several casualties,” particularly from clashes between mutineers and loyalist forces.

To regain control, Benin received assistance from neighboring Nigeria, which conducted strikes on Sunday against the Togbin base in the economic capital, where the mutineers had entrenched themselves after their broadcast.

Abuja also deployed ground troops, instrumental in recapturing the base overnight from Sunday to Monday.

“Electoral Inclusivity”

ECOWAS announced on Sunday evening that it would dispatch military reinforcements from four regional nations, without specifying troop numbers, to “preserve constitutional order.”

“Our community is in a state of emergency,” declared Omar Alieu Touray, President of the ECOWAS Commission, on Tuesday, highlighting both the spread of jihadist activity and the prevalence of coups in the region.

Around a dozen military personnel have been apprehended, but some of the plotters, including their leader, Lieutenant-Colonel Pascal Tigri, remain at large.

They had initially taken two senior army officers hostage: Army Chief of Staff Abou Issa and National Guard Chief of Staff Faïzou Gomina, both of whom were released on Monday.

Life quickly resumed its normal pace in Cotonou, the economic hub of this small West African coastal nation, which Patrice Talon has governed since 2016.

He is scheduled to step down in April following the presidential election, having completed his two-term limit as mandated by the Constitution.

While celebrated for Benin’s economic progress, Talon has also faced regular accusations from critics of an authoritarian shift in a country once lauded for its vibrant democracy.

His chosen successor, Finance Minister Romuald Wadagni, is the overwhelming favorite in the upcoming election, from which the main opposition party, The Democrats, is excluded due to insufficient endorsements.

On Tuesday, former President Thomas Boni Yayi (2006-2016), now a leader of The Democrats, condemned the attempted coup.

“I condemn with the utmost rigor and firmness this bloody and ignoble attack our country experienced,” he stated, advocating for “free and transparent elections.”

“Elections have become a major trigger for instability” in the region, observed Omar Alieu Touray, who also noted a “growing erosion of electoral inclusivity in several ECOWAS states.”