France Aided Benin in Foiling Coup Attempt, Elysee Palace Claims
According to the International Desk of Webangah News Agency, the Elysee Palace announced that Paris supported Benin’s armed forces with intelligence to counter the failed coup attempt last weekend.
According to the Elysee statement, French President Emmanuel Macron coordinated the operation to assist the government in Benin. He consulted with Benin’s President Patrice Talon and representatives from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) regarding the situation.
The Elysee Palace emphasized that Paris condemns the effort to destabilize Benin and expresses full political support for ECOWAS actions.
ECOWAS has stated that it dispatched military personnel from Nigeria, Ghana, Ivory Coast, and Sierra Leone to assist the Benin government.
On Sunday, a group of Benin soldiers calling themselves the “Military Committee for Reconstruction” stormed the state television station to announce a coup, but government officials announced that their effort had failed several hours later.
Benin officials stated on Monday that several soldiers had been killed and others arrested. Colonel Pascal Tigri, the coup leader and former member of Talon’s security detail, remains at large.
