France Confirms Providing Intelligence and Support to Benin and Nigeria to Foil Coup Attempt

France has confirmed that it provided crucial intelligence and logistical support to Benin to help prevent an attempted coup on Sunday, according to officials from the French presidency. Benin’s President Patrice Talon announced that his government and military had successfully thwarted a group of soldiers attempting to seize power, vowing that those involved would face consequences.

French officials also shared intelligence with Nigeria, which responded by deploying fighter jets and ground troops to assist Benin after receiving a request from Cotonou. A French presidential adviser told reporters that France’s support included surveillance, observation, and logistics for Beninese forces, and emphasized that the assistance was part of broader regional efforts coordinated by ECOWAS.

While officials declined to provide further details, the French presidency confirmed that President Emmanuel Macron spoke with both the Nigerian and Beninese presidents over the weekend. The failed coup highlights ongoing concerns about democratic stability in West Africa, where recent years have seen military takeovers in Niger, Burkina Faso, Mali, Guinea, and, last month, Guinea-Bissau. France has maintained a lower profile in the region following military coups that disrupted its influence in several former West African partners.