France announces its support for Benin to thwart the coup attempt against its president
France announced on Tuesday that it had provided logistical and surveillance support to the Beninese army last Sunday, at the request of the Beninese authorities, and in coordination with the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), to thwart the coup attempt against President Patrice Talon.
French media, quoted the Elysee as saying that French President Emmanuel Macron led a coordination effort and exchange of information with the countries of the region in West Africa.
Macron spoke last Sunday with his Beninese counterpart Patrice Talon, Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Sierra Leone’s Julius Mada Bio, who heads ECOWAS on a regular basis.
The Elysee, which described the coup attempt in Benin as very violent and noted that it resulted in deaths and hostage-taking, did not provide details about France’s support for Benin, but Radio France Internationale quoted a tracking website as saying that an intelligence plane, with a French registration number, was spotted for several hours on Sunday flying over Cotonou.
A statement by French Foreign Ministry said, that France has given its full political support to the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), which has decided to intervene (militarily in Benin), especially through Nigeria.
The statement added that France has provided intelligence or surveillance support to Benin at the request of Cotonou, and in the context of long-standing bilateral contacts, noting that the two countries share a strong and multidimensional partnership in many fields, whether cultural, humanitarian or security.
The authorities in Benin have arrested some of the coup plotters, while others are still on the run, noting that two officers who were kidnapped during the coup attempt were released on Monday.
Patrice Talon has been the president of Benin since 2016 and has announced on several occasions that he will not run for a third term in the upcoming elections in April 2026, in respect of the requirements of the constitution, which provides for a maximum of two presidential terms for the president of the republic.
