By Kingston Magare 11.12.2025
But for the timely intervention of Nigeria, Ghana and Cote d’Ivoire, Benin Republic’s democracy would have been toast with lots of casualties to go along with it.
Speaking in Abuja on Thursday, Benin Republic foreign minister Olushegun Bakari, said the coup plotters were prepared for a fight with the loyal forces and President Patrice Talon quickly called for ECOWAS intervention.
“We requested intervention under the ECOWAS protocol from Nigeria and other countries like Côte d’Ivoire, Sierra Leone, and Ghana, who also offered their support after Benin made the request. We asked for the support of our brothers and sisters, not because our army was incapable of handling it.
The coup attempt began around 3 a.m. on Sunday when armed rebels launched an attack on the presidential residence.
However, Benin’s Republican Guard, a key component of the country’s defence forces, quickly mounted a defence and blocked the attackers.
“We were able to stop the rebels from taking over key installations like the airport, thanks to the support from Nigeria and other ECOWAS nations like Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, and Sierra Leone.
“Their support was crucial to ensure that we could neutralise the threat with minimal loss of life. We did not want to engage in an all-out assault that could have led to many civilian deaths.
“Our defence forces—the Republican Guard—blocked them. They fought back and then withdrew into a military camp. So, when we started discussions for the intervention of Nigeria and others under the ECOWAS protocol, our military had already pushed them back. The coup had already failed.”
“Why did we ask for support, especially from Nigeria? It was mainly because the area where they had established themselves in a military barracks was surrounded by civilians. We didn’t want to risk significant casualties. If we had let our military enter there, the casualties would have been very high,” he said.
“That’s one of the reasons why President Talon requested support from Nigeria—to ensure that we could have a surgical impact, destroy the armoured vehicles they had in the barracks, and prevent them from taking over key locations like the airport,” he said.
“Our army is a republican army, one that fights for democracy, and it is capable of stopping such coups,” he said.
“We showed that together we can fight for democracy. We can stop people trying to derail our democracy in the region,” Bakari affirmed.