Tuesday 9th December 2025
The Benin coup attempt 2025 is testing West Africa’s security and bond markets after Nigerian jets and ECOWAS troops helped President Patrice Talon regain control of Cotonou. Over the weekend, mutinous soldiers briefly seized state TV and claimed they had removed the government before loyal forces pushed them back.
Nigeria launched its first foreign military intervention in almost a decade, sending fighter jets and ground troops to dislodge the coup plotters and secure Benin’s airspace. Analysts say Abuja moved fast to prevent another military regime in the region’s already fragile “coup belt” and to protect cross-border trade routes into Nigeria.
Regional bloc ECOWAS has now deployed a standby force drawn from Ghana, Sierra Leone, Ivory Coast and Nigeria. The coalition aims to stabilize key sites while Benin’s security services hunt remaining members of the self-styled Military Committee for Refoundation, led by Lt. Col. Pascal Tigri.
Financial markets reacted quickly. Benin’s eurobond prices slipped on Monday, with longer-dated issues among the hardest hit, as investors reassessed the country’s risk premium despite the swift failure of the putsch. Rating analysts warn that even a short-lived mutiny can dent a country’s reputation for stability.
However, the government insists its reform and borrowing plans remain on track ahead of parliamentary polls in January 2026 and presidential elections in April. Talon has vowed to step down next year, and his finance minister Romuald Wadagni remains a frontrunner to succeed him, a factor some investors see as continuity.
The African Union has strongly condemned the attempted power grab, calling it a grave violation of continental norms on unconstitutional changes of government. It also recalled earlier AU frameworks that reject military rule and back democratic transitions.
Authorities in Cotonou are pressing ahead with arrests linked to the Benin coup attempt 2025. At least 14 soldiers are already in custody, while Tigri and several allies remain on the run.
Meanwhile, ECOWAS commanders are mapping a drawdown plan that keeps forces in Benin long enough to reassure voters and markets, but not so long that it fuels domestic criticism. Nigeria, which shouldered the most visible role, also faces pressure to explain the legal and financial terms of its intervention to its own parliament.
The Benin coup attempt 2025 shows how fast political shocks can spill into trade and finance in a small coastal economy. Benin is a vital import route for northern Nigeria and a key node for regional re-exports; any sustained turmoil would hit customs revenues and logistics chains across West Africa.
Moreover, another successful coup would have deepened worries that the region’s democratic norms are eroding after military takeovers in Niger, Burkina Faso and Mali. The rapid ECOWAS deployment signals that neighbours still see constitutional order as a core economic interest, not just a political slogan.
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