Regional bloc orders immediate deployment of a multinational standby force to help safeguard constitutional order in Benin.
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has ordered the deployment of elements of its Standby Force to the Republic of Benin, following the recently reported failed coup attempt in the country.
In a statement released after high-level consultations among members of the Mediation and Security Council, ECOWAS announced that the deployment aligns with Article 25(e) of the 1999 Protocol on Conflict Prevention, Management, Resolution, Peacekeeping, and Security.
According to the Commission:
“The Chair of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government has approved the immediate deployment of the ECOWAS Standby Force to the Republic of Benin.”
The regional force will consist of personnel from Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Côte d’Ivoire, and Ghana. ECOWAS says the mission will support the Government and the Republican Army of Benin in maintaining constitutional order and safeguarding the country’s territorial integrity.