₦airaland Forum

France helped the authorities in Benin thwart a coup attempt at the weekend, an aide to President Emmanuel Macron said on Tuesday, revealing a French role in a regional effort that foiled the latest bid to stage a putsch in West Africa.

Macron led a “coordination effort” by speaking with key regional leaders, the aide, asking not to be named, told reporters two days after Sunday’s failed coup bid.

France — at the request of the Beninese authorities — provided assistance “in terms of surveillance, observation and logistical support” to the Benin armed forces, the aide added.

Further details on the nature of the assistance were not immediately available.

A group of soldiers on Sunday took over Benin’s national television station and announced that President Patrice Talon had been deposed.

But loyalist army forces ultimately defeated the attempted putsch with the help of neighbouring Nigeria, which carried out military strikes on Cotonou and deployed troops.

West Africa has endured a sequence of coups in recent years that have severely eroded French influence and presence in what were French colonies until independence.

Mali saw coups in 2020 and 2021, followed by Burkina Faso in 2022 and then Niger in 2023. French forces that had been deployed in these countries for an anti-jihadist operation were consequently forced to withdraw.

A successful putsch in Benin, also a former French colony, would have been seen as a new blow to the standing of Paris and Macron in the region.

Guinea-Bissau, a former Portuguese colony, was meanwhile rocked by a coup in November after elections, which led to military authorities taking over.

‘Caused serious concern’


On Sunday, Macron spoke with Talon as well as the leaders of top regional power Nigeria and Sierra Leone, which holds the presidency of West African regional bloc ECOWAS, the Elysee aide said.

The situation in Benin “caused serious concern for the president (Macron), who unequivocally condemned this attempt at destabilisation, which fortunately failed,” said the aide.


[i]ECOWAS has said troops from Ghana, Ivory Coast, Nigeria, and Sierra Leone were being deployed to Benin to help the government “preserve constitutional order.”

“Our community is in a state of emergency,” Omar Alieu Touray, president of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), said on Tuesday, highlighting the jihadist threat in the region as well as coups.

The bloc had threatened intervention during Niger’s 2023 coup that deposed president Mohamed Bazoum — an ally of Macron — but ultimately did not act.

France also did not carry out any intervention against the Niger coup.

“France has offered its full political support to ECOWAS, which made a very significant effort this weekend,” said the aide.

At least a dozen plotters had been arrested, and all hostages, including high-ranking officers, had been released by Monday, according to loyalist military sources.

Talon made his own television appearance late Sunday, assuring the country that the situation was “completely under control.”

Talon, 67, is due to hand over the reins of power in April after the maximum-allowed two terms leading Benin, which in recent years has been hit by jihadist violence in the north.

On Tuesday, former Beninese president Thomas Boni Yayi, whose opposition Democrats party has been excluded from next year’s presidential elections, condemned the failed coup.

“I condemn most vigorously and strongly condemn this bloody and shameful attack on our country,” said Boni Yayi, a former chairman of the African Union who served as Benin’s president from 2006 to 2016.

The transfer of state power “responds to a single cardinal and unconditional principle: that of the ballot box, that of the people, that of free and transparent elections”, Boni Yayi added in a video posted on Facebook.

Source: https://punchng.com/france-helped-benin-in-thwarting-weekend-coup-attempt-official

A successful coup in Benin would have been a good opportunity for the Obidients to do some street protests over there.

Good job France

Democracy must prevail

And zo0 is making noise everywhere..


Even their air force missed road enter Burkina Faso 🤣🤣😂😂




Incompetent lots

And Nigeria wanted to take the glory. It was actually France that stoped the coup. This APC and lie lie. Tuehhhhhh

Meaning France will blowup any body that attempts toppling Tinubu from power 📌💯👌

chiagozien:
And zo0 is making noise every

Zoopobians have been crying for days now.

France is doing that for their own benefit. Africa doesn't need democracy

So Nigeria was not even recognized chai

Chicentt:
And Nigeria wanted to take the glory. It was actually France that stoped the coup. This APC and lie lie. Tuehhhhhh

Who are the regional leaders France contacted to avert the coup?

So Tinubu is truly Macron's puppet
This is shameful
As in France? Who France epp?
No wonder he tanked our currency below the CFA after he took office

ebukal67x:
A successful coup in Benin would have been a good opportunity for the Obidients to do some street protests over there.

You talk like a poorly-programmed bot

Everyone is now claiming glory, where were they when coup succeeded in other parts of Africa

Chicentt:
And Nigeria wanted to take the glory. It was actually France that stoped the coup. This APC and lie lie. Tuehhhhhh

Tinubu that you hate stopped the coup.

If France could have stopped coups, why did they not stop Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger. After all there were already French troops Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger and they were expelled after the coups in those countries succeeded.


Even the source of this news you swallowing h]was shady. They never gave any name. All they said was an aid. Aid wey no get name dey?

stuffs2002:
OBIDIENTS will never ever want to credit Tinubu for the defeat of the coup plotters

Macron barked and your president ran like a scared puppy to obey macron's orders whereas people are getting murdered left and right in Nigeria.
Look at the kind of person you support, a spineless coward

Like they did in Mali and others

Nigeria needs strengthening rather than any thing

Dem miss road enter Burkina Faso but dem dey claim glory for wetin another country do.





APC and lies.............

This is recommendable we need an extension of such energy to neutralize and liquidated these terrorists who have plugged Nigeria into this plight of untold hardship, pains and agony.

chiagozien:
And zo0 is making noise everywhere..


Even their air force missed road enter Burkina Faso 🤣🤣😂😂




Incompetent lots

the hatred and unpatrioticin you need to be study, how can sane human being referring to his mother's land as zoo...

Whether France likes it or not Benin Republic shall last last join the AES and put an end to the reign of Enslavement of FRANCE over that Country.

Haaaaaail Putin!!

adenigga:
Source: https://punchng.com/france-helped-benin-in-thwarting-weekend-coup-attempt-official

chiagozien:
And zo0 is making noise everywhere..


Even their air force missed road enter Burkina Faso 🤣🤣😂😂




Incompetent lots

The same zo0 sent the international terro#ist to life imprisonment because he is an animal.

His request to move from sokoto was equally rejected.

Laugh again.

Clown

YouAreNobody:
Macron barked and your president ran like a scared puppy to obey macron's orders whereas people are getting murdered left and right in Nigeria.
Look at the kind of person you support, a spineless coward

You are just pained that Tinubu acted swiftly, with precision, efficiently and decidedly to thwart the coup.

Macron could not have stopped the coup. why did France not stop Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger because they already had French soldiers in those countries and the coup plotter struck and immediately kicked out the French soldiers from those countries


Hate him all you want but just know that Tinubu no be una fada mate

There is nothing like democracy in Africa. It is Actually DEMONScrazy.

femi4:
Good job France

Democracy must prevail

Rikidony:
So Nigeria was not even recognized chai

Western propaganda trying to take credit for what they did not do

At all!!
DemonsCrazy is what democracy is actually is.

Iran2025:
France is doing that for their own benefit. Africa doesn't need democracy

COMRADES, I don't know why any country colonised by France doesn't progress/ develop

I thought Nigeria claimed the glory of thwarting the coup in Benin Republic

Ok, noted.
"But loyalist army forces ultimately defeated the attempted putsch with the help of neighbouring Nigeria, which carried out military strikes on Cotonou and deployed troops."

France did not help Benin republic, rather France was trying to protect one of their businesses centre