"Amid reports of gunfire and civilians scampering to safety in the economic capital, Cotonou, Beninese and others across the region waited with bated breath as conflicting intelligence emerged. The small group of putschists, on the one hand, declared victory, but Benin's forces and government officials said the plot had failed. By evening, the situation was clear Benin's government was still standing."
"While Talon now enjoys victory as the president who could not be unseated, the spotlight is also on the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). The regional bloc rallied to save the day in Benin after their seeming resignation in the face of the crises rocking the region, including just last month, when the military took power in Guinea-Bissau."
"It wanted to remind the region that it does have the power to intervene when the context allows, Cummings said. At some point, there needed to be a line drawn in the sand [and] what was at stake was West Africa's most stable sovereign country falling."
Armed soldiers in Benin appeared on national television on December 7 to announce they had seized power in a coup, prompting fear across a region with repeated coups since 2020. Reports of gunfire and civilians fleeing Cotonou produced conflicting intelligence as a small group of putschists declared victory while government forces said the plot had failed. By evening, President Patrice Talon and loyalist army units had retained control with assistance from neighbouring states, notably Nigeria. ECOWAS mobilized to support Benin, seeking to counter criticism of ineffectiveness and assert the region's ability to intervene to protect stability.
Read at www.aljazeera.com
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