Ghana Set to Deploy Soldiers to Benin as Part of ECOWAS Force Following Attempted Coup
- Ghana is set to deploy troops to the ECOWAS Standby Force following the attempted coup in Benin
- The ECOWAS mission aims to support Benin's government and maintain constitutional order after the coup attempt
- The ECOWAS regional force will comprise troops from Nigeria, Sierra Leone, and Côte d’Ivoire, in addition to Ghana
Ghana has initiated processes to deploy its contingent to the ECOWAS Standby Force mission in Benin, following an attempted coup d’état in the country.
Joy News reported that the move aligns with directives issued by the Chair of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government for the immediate deployment of elements of the ECOWAS Standby Force to Cotonou.
Source: Facebook
ECOWAS noted in a statement that the regional force will comprise troops from Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Côte d’Ivoire, and Ghana.
According to ECOWAS, the mission is mandated to support the Government and the Republican Army of Benin in preserving constitutional order and safeguarding the country’s territorial integrity.
Joy News reported that Ghana is already making arrangements to contribute its quota of personnel to the stabilisation mission.
The deployment may not exceed 100 Ghana Armed Forces personnel.
Earlier in September, ECOWAS announced plans to deploy 1,650 personnel from its Standby Force in 2026 as part of a renewed sub-regional counter-terrorism initiative.
About the coup attempt in Benin
On December 7, gunfire rang out in several neighbourhoods of Cotonou, Benin's capital, as soldiers went on state television to say they had removed Benin President Patrice Talon from power.
Talon later said Benin's armed forces had thwarted the coup attempt by a group of soldiers and vowed to punish them.
The Benin government said 14 people were arrested in connection with the coup attempt.
At the request of Talon's government, Nigeria sent air force fighter jets to take over Benin's airspace to help dislodge the coup plotters.
Military takeover in Guinea-Bissau
The coup attempt in Benin followed a successful coup in Guinea-Bissau, which ousted President Umaro Sissoco Embalo on November 26.
Ghana condemned the coup, saying it threatened democratic governance in the West African nation.
The coup came as the country was expecting its election results. The government said the coup was of profound concern because it disrupted the electoral process on November 23.
Akufo-Addo condemns coups
Back in 2023, then-President Akufo-Addo condemned coups in the West African subregion shortly after a coup in Niger.
Source: Getty Images
Speaking at Liberia's 147th Independence Day celebrations, Akufo-Addo said ECOWAS needed to fight together to end coups in the subregion.
He held that fighting unconstitutional takeovers of governments in the region would be the surest way to banish rampant poverty.
Source: YEN.com.gh
