Foreign Affairs Minister of the Republic of Benin, Olushegun Adjadi Bakari, has revealed that approximately 200 Nigerian and Ivorian troops are currently in Benin as part of a security mission supporting the government.

The small West African nation was rocked by a failed putsch on Sunday, which saw Nigeria, France and the Ivory Coast mobilise in support of the civilian government.

“There are currently around 200 soldiers present, who came to lend a hand at the end of the day to the Beninese defence and security forces as part of the sweep and clean-up operation,” Adjadi Bakari told reporters at a press conference in Abuja on Thursday.

According to an Ivorian security source, fifty troops were sent by Abidjan as part of the deployment, which regional bloc ECOWAS has said will also include soldiers from Ghana and Sierra Leone.

Nigeria said its soldiers had reached Benin on Sunday. ECOWAS has not made public the total number of troops expected.

Bakari said that by the time the Beninese forces called for help, the coup “was already a failure”.

Bakari stated that Benin’s loyalist forces repelled the initial assault, but the situation required careful handling to prevent unnecessary civilian casualties.

“We requested the support of our brothers and sisters, not because our army was not capable, but because the President of the Republic did not want significant human lives lost.”

He added that a direct clash at the assailants’ base could have led to major bloodshed. “That is why President Patrice Talon asked for the support of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

“The Benin army had succeeded in preventing and repelling this coup attempt, but the risk of heavy losses required a coordinated response.”

Bakari praised ECOWAS for showing once again that it remains “an important tool that allows us to defend democracy and the values of democracy in our regional space,” noting that Nigeria, Côte d’Ivoire, Sierra Leone and Ghana all offered support.

Discussions are ongoing on whether regional standby forces will remain temporarily deployed, but Bakari said any decision “will be taken in close collaboration with Benin’s defence and security forces, who have demonstrated their bravery.”

Also, speaking at the ECOWAS ministerial briefing in Abuja, Nigeria’s Foreign Affairs Minister, Yusuf Maitama Tuggar, revealed that fast diplomatic, military, and intelligence actions between Nigeria and Benin helped to foil the attempted coup.

Tuggar said the episode proved how democratic institutions can be safeguarded when neighbouring countries communicate effectively.

He said, “The coordination to ensure that democracy remains untampered in Benin was successful, and it is an exemplar of what really should obtain whenever democracy is under threat in our region.”

He explained that he and Bakari were in “constant communication from the very beginning,” adding that “the fast reaction and communication between us and several of our colleagues is what led to the thwarting of this attempt to undermine democracy by way of an unconstitutional change of government.”

He noted that the crisis reaffirmed the need to strengthen the ECOWAS Standby Force.

“First and foremost, we all have to pay up our dues. These recent events underscore the need for us to have a standby force that is well funded and effective.”

Foiled coup leader ‘hiding in Togo’

Meanwhile, Reuters reports that Pascal Tigri, the alleged leader of the botched coup, and his accomplices are hiding in Togo.

On Wednesday, Benin government officials told Reuters that the ringleader is hiding in Lome 2, a neighbourhood in the Togolese capital that also houses the residence of President Faure Gnassingbe.

A memo from Benin’s national intelligence service to its Togolese counterpart, dated Wednesday and seen by Reuters, said on the day of the coup, Tigri had been contacted by someone using a Togolese phone number.

“Our department would like to request your support in apprehending and then handing over these fugitive soldiers to the Beninese authorities by your competent services,” the memo states.

Asked about this claim, Bakari said he couldn’t confirm the report. (Daily Trust)