TUNIS, December 9. /TASS/. France assisted Benin’s authorities in suppressing the coup on December 7, Paris, in particular, sent special forces and reconnaissance aircraft to the African country to monitor the situation, the Jeune Afrique magazine reported, citing sources.
According to the publication, French President Emmanuel Macron was informed about the developments in Benin from the very beginning on the morning of December 7. On the same day, he had a phone conversation with the President of Benin, Patrice Talon, and told him that in the economic capital of Benin, Cotonou, where the coup attempt began, French Army Special Forces troops were deployed on full alert. At the same time, French intelligence agencies also provided support to the authorities in Benin. Particularly, a French reconnaissance aircraft repeatedly flew over Cotonou during the day. According to the edition, the French leader also sent a request to Nigerian President Bola Tinubu to send troops to Benin to handle the situation.
As stated in the publication, France and Benin have recently been strengthening the ties between their armed forces against the background of an increasing terrorist threat in the country. On the day of the failed coup attempt, the Head of the General Staff of the Benin Armed Forces, General Fructueux Gbaguidi, was on a working visit to Paris, and in October he visited French centers of military training, where Benin military personnel are trained. Meanwhile, Paris and Porto-Novo state that there are no French "operational deployment" military bases in Benin.
On December 7, the government of Benin requested Nigeria to deploy fighter jets and also to send ground troops to help suppress the coup. Later, the Nigerian Air Force deployed a fighter jet to Benin for aerial reconnaissance and also struck the putschists when they tried to leave Cotonou in armored personnel carriers. On December 8, Nigeria dispatched forces to Benin. As reported by the newspaper This Day, other members of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) — including Sierra Leone, Ghana, and Cote d’Ivoire — have also dispatched forces to Benin. The regional bloc comprises a total of 12 states.
In the early Sunday morning of December 7, a group of servicemen announced on state broadcaster that a military committee had taken full power in the country and removed President Patrice Talon from office. However National Guard units loyal to the constitution suppressed the coup attempt, and some of the rebels were arrested. The government stated that it fully controls the situation.