Nigeria has confirmed that it has intervened militarily in Benin , conducting airstrikes in Cotonou and deploying ground troops , in order to counter an attempted coup and "safeguard constitutional order," according to a statement from the Nigerian presidency published Sunday evening.

🇳🇬 Nigeria's intervention

Abuja's intervention follows two requests made by the Beninese government:

1. Air support: Nigerian President Bola Tinubu initially ordered fighter jets to be deployed into Beninese airspace to help dislodge the coup plotters from the national television station and a military camp. Aerial surveillance was also conducted in collaboration with Benin.
2. Ground deployment: Benin then requested the deployment of Nigerian troops on the ground, who are currently present on the territory.

President Tinubu stressed that these actions, carried out at the invitation of Cotonou, were part of the ECOWAS protocol on democracy and good governance, aimed at "stabilizing a neighbouring country".

🌍 ECOWAS deploys the Standby Force

For its part, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) announced the "immediate deployment" of its Standby Force .

This force, mandated to guarantee regional peace and stability (as during the Gambian crisis in 2017), is composed of contingents from Nigeria , Sierra Leone , Ivory Coast , and Ghana . Its objective is to support the government and the "republican army" of Benin in order to preserve constitutional order.