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🇵🇾 Paraguay /Conflict & Security

Benin rejects any involvement in Niger coup attempt

From ABC Color · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

Newswire Named sources Ongoing story
  • Benin denied involvement in the failed coup attempt in Niger and called for relations between the neighboring countries to return to normal.
  • Niger’s state television had accused Benin, Côte d’Ivoire and French special forces of backing the attackers, but the claims had not been independently verified.
  • The failed coup began on Aug. 28 and was put down the following day with help from Africa Corps, as tensions between Cotonou and Niamey remain strained.

Benin has categorically denied any involvement in last weekend’s attempted coup in Niger and said it wants relations with its neighbor to return to normal.

“The government is convinced that, at some point, our brothers in Niger will understand that Benin is not their enemy and that relations will return to normal,” government spokesman Wilfried Léandre Houngbédji told local media.

Houngbédji also rejected claims that Cotonou harbored hostile intentions toward Niamey. Niger’s state television had linked Benin, Côte d’Ivoire and French special forces to alleged outside support for the attackers. No independent sources had verified those accusations.

The government is convinced that, at some point, our brothers in Niger will understand that Benin is not their enemy and that relations will return to normal.

· Wilfried Léandre HoungbédjiBenin’s government spokesman called for normalization with Niger while denying hostile intentions.

The statements followed allegations by Nigerien Captain Roger Gabriel after clashes involving the Special Operations Command’s Special Reconnaissance Battalion. The fighters attacked Air Base 101 and several strategic positions in the capital. Nigerien authorities said they seized an arsenal that included 34 armed pickup trucks, two light armored vehicles, AK-47 assault rifles, RPG-7 rocket launchers and heavy machine guns.

“For the same reasons that led us yesterday to oppose the destabilization of Niger, for those same reasons we oppose it today and will oppose it tomorrow,” Houngbédji said, appealing to the historical and family ties shared across the border. Benin became the second regional state to publicly reject Niamey’s accusations after Nigeria called reports of support from Abuja or the Economic Community of West African States false and malicious.

Relations between Cotonou and Niamey have deteriorated since the July 2023 coup that removed President Mohamed Bazoum and brought General Abdourahamane Tchiani to power. The failed coup began on Aug. 28 and was suppressed the next day with help from Africa Corps, a Russian force deployed in Africa under Moscow’s control. Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso belong to the Alliance of Sahel States, which has reduced military ties with France, expanded cooperation with Russia and formally left ECOWAS in January 2025.

For the same reasons that led us yesterday to oppose the destabilization of Niger, for those same reasons we oppose it today and will oppose it tomorrow.

· Wilfried Léandre HoungbédjiHoungbédji reiterated Benin’s opposition to destabilizing Niger.
About this summary

Originally published by ABC Color in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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