Why Benin’s Rebel Soldiers Failed as ECOWAS Drew a Line

Last week’s attempted coup in Benin could have marked the ninth successful military takeover in West Africa in just five years. Instead, it became the moment regional leaders decided they had reached their limit. While neighbouring countries have fallen one after another to mutinous soldiers since 2020, the rapid collapse of Benin’s rebellion showed that both domestic and regional forces were no longer willing to let another government be toppled.

The attempt came only days after soldiers in Guinea Bissau seized power while presidential election votes were still being counted. The speed of these events alarmed Ecowas, the West African regional bloc, which has struggled to manage a cascade of coups that has destabilised governance and security across the region. When rebels in Benin moved against President Patrice Talon on Sunday, Ecowas leaders concluded that allowing another coup to succeed would threaten the political order they were still fighting to preserve.

Nigeria acted first and acted decisively. Backing Talon’s government, Nigerian warplanes carried out strikes on rebel positions at Benin’s national television and radio broadcaster, as well as at a military base near the Cotonou airport. The swift intervention sent a clear message: constitutional order in Benin would be defended with force if necessary. Within hours, the mutinous soldiers were in retreat.

Ecowas followed by announcing the deployment of ground troops from Ghana, Nigeria, Ivory Coast and Sierra Leone. Their mission was to reinforce loyalist forces and prevent any chance of the coup regaining momentum. The rapid mobilisation reflected deep concern that another successful coup could push West Africa even further into instability, at a time when the bloc’s unity has already been severely eroded.

The region has been shaken repeatedly since 2020, with Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger each falling to military juntas. In January, those three states withdrew entirely from Ecowas after months of political standoffs, removing themselves from the organisation they helped found half a century ago. Their departure, together with a rise in anti democratic sentiment among some militaries, raised fears that the ECOWAS model of collective security was weakening.

Against this backdrop, the attempted overthrow in Cotonou felt like a tipping point. For Ecowas, the idea that yet another civilian government might be pushed aside risked turning the region’s crisis into a systemic collapse of democratic rule. The remaining heads of state concluded that the rebellion in Benin was not just a national threat, but a regional challenge that required an unambiguous response.

Inside Benin, the coup also faltered because it lacked broad support. Loyalist soldiers put up strong resistance, and the rebels failed to control key institutions beyond their initial targets. While other coups in the region have gained momentum through widespread political discontent, the Benin uprising appeared more isolated and less coordinated. Without popular backing, and with Ecowas resolved to intervene, its chances of success quickly evaporated.

The failed coup underscores a new reality in West Africa: while the wave of military takeovers has not fully subsided, regional leaders are becoming more assertive in drawing boundaries. For Ecowas, Benin was a coup too far — and one they were not willing to let succeed.