ECOWAS troops deployed as Benin foils coup attempt

Some 200 West African soldiers, mainly from Nigeria and Ivory Coast, have been deployed in Benin to support the government following Sunday's failed coup.

The attempt was foiled after Abuja deployed fighter jets to drive the mutineers out of a military base and state TV headquarters.

Military help for the government came from the West African regional bloc, ECOWAS.

Benin’s foreign minister says some of the regional troops sent to help had remained in the country "as part of the sweep and clean-up operation".

A manhunt is still underway for those believed to be involved in the plot, with the leader of the failed coup, Pascal Tigri, said to have taken refuge in neighbouring Togo.

Benin’s national intelligence has reportedly asked its Togolese counterpart for its supporting in apprehending the fugitive soldiers.

Meanwhile, former deputy defence minister and opposition party leader, Candide Azannaï, was arrested on Friday and accused of conspiracy against the state.

This comes as the government announced the opening of investigations aimed at finding the perpetrators and instigators of the attempted coup.

The government has also issued an international arrest warrant for anti-Western influencer Kémi Séba, who is an outspoken supporter of Sahelian military juntas close to Russia.

From the very first hours of the attempted coup, he had posted a video describing the mutineers as "patriotic soldiers".

Several West African countries have witnessed coups in recent years, including Benin’s northern neighbours, Niger and Burkina Faso.