The ECOWAS Standby Force was activated on Sunday after the Economic Community of West African States ordered its rapid deployment to the Republic of Benin following an attempted military takeover targeting President Patrice Talon. The intervention marks one of the bloc’s strongest recent responses to rising instability in West Africa.
ECOWAS said the ECOWAS Standby Force was mandated to prevent a breakdown of constitutional governance after a faction of soldiers tried to seize power in the early hours of Sunday. The regional authority warned that it would take all necessary steps to safeguard democratic institutions in Benin, a key coastal state in the Gulf of Guinea.
In an initial statement, the group condemned the attack as an “unconstitutional act” that violates Benin’s sovereign order. ECOWAS noted that the ECOWAS Standby Force demonstrates a commitment to ensuring that citizens’ electoral choices are protected from forceful disruptions, a concern that has grown after recent coups in Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso.
A follow-up briefing confirmed that leaders of the ECOWAS Mediation and Security Council held emergency consultations before approving the ECOWAS Standby Force under Article 25(e) of the 1999 Protocol on Conflict Prevention, which allows military action in situations threatening regional peace.
The ECOWAS Commission said the ECOWAS Standby Force will comprise troops from Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana. These units will support Benin’s government and Republican Army in stabilising security conditions while investigations into the attempted coup continue.
The crisis escalated when a group of soldiers appeared on state television claiming to have removed President Talon and dissolved national institutions. Their message prompted the ECOWAS Standby Force decision as reports emerged that the mutineers had attacked the president’s residence in Porto-Novo before loyal forces regained control.
Authorities said the uprising, reportedly led by Lieutenant Colonel Pascal Tigri, was suppressed within hours. The ECOWAS Standby Force is expected to help prevent any renewed insurrection while reinforcing state security capabilities.
Regional analysts say the ECOWAS Standby Force deployment sends a strong signal that the bloc intends to curb the spread of military takeovers, which have increasingly undermined political stability and economic confidence across West Africa.
