Benin’s Failed Coup: Three Factors Behind The Takeover Attempt
A newspaper in Benin’s Cotonou reporting the president declaring that the “situation is completely under control” after a thwarted coup attempt. Photo by Olympia de Maismont / AFP via Getty Images BY JOHN JOSEPH CHIN ASSISTANT TEACHING PROFESSOR OF STRATEGY AND TECHNOLOGY, CARNEGIE MELLON UNIVERSITY Military elements attempted to topple Benin’s government in early December 2025. However, unlike other coups across the Sahel and west Africa since 2020, this bid triggered a military response from Benin’s neighbours. Benin is a west African state of 14.8 million people bordered by Togo, Burkina Faso, Niger and Nigeria. Responding to two requests for assistance from the government of President Patrice Talon , Nigeria deployed fighter jets and the Economic Community of West African States (Ecowas) deployed elements of its standby force to target and dislodge the pro-coup forces. Ecowas intervention likely played an important role in undermining the coup’s momentum and restoring order. ...
