Benin Republic has been elected into the African Union (AU) peace and security council (PSC), two months after a group of soldiers attempted to overthrow President Patrice Talon.
The West African country was elected on Thursday during the
sidelines of the AU summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Yusuf Tuggar, minister of foreign affairs, told TheCable on
Sunday that Benin’s election into the council owes to Nigeria’s intervention.
Seven West African countries including Benin, Côte d’Ivoire,
Ghana, Liberia, Senegal, Sierra Leone, and Togo all submitted their bids to
join the council.
Sierra Leone and Côte d’Ivoire, previous council members,
were re-elected while Benin made the cut as a new member.
Tuggar said Nigeria’s support for its “very important
neighbour” came after the French-speaking West African country “encountered a
fragility in its system”.
Hours into the attempted coup in Benin on December 7, 2025,
the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) conducted targeted air strikes on the fleeing coup
plotters.
Bayo Onanuga, Nigeria’s presidential spokesperson, said
President Bola Tinubu acquiesced to requests from Benin authorities.
Edouard Ouin-Ouro, secretary-general of the Benin
government, confirmed the request, noting that the Nigerian soldiers were part
of an ECOWAS troop which also comprised a special force from Côte d’Ivoire.
The PSC is the standing decision-making organ of the AU for
the prevention, management and resolution of conflicts.
While the council has 15 members with equal voting powers,
TheCable understands Nigeria was able to help Benin secure its win through its
regional influence.
Members are elected by the AU executive council and endorsed
by the AU assembly during its ordinary sessions.
West Africa is the region with the most seats on the
council.
There are no permanent members but Nigeria has been pushing
to change this structure, positioning itself as a candidate.
Last September, the Nigerian ministry of foreign affairs and
the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) signed a regional partnership
for democracy (RPD) programme — an initiative designed to strengthen democratic
governance across West Africa.
The initiative addresses challenges like eroding public
trust, disputed elections, and shrinking civic freedoms through African-led
strategies, and includes bolstering electoral bodies, early-warning systems
against unconstitutional changes, empowering youth and civil society, and
combating election misinformation.
“Both the RPD, as well as being in the PSC is going to
further reify the democratic norms and ideals that the RPD is looking to do,”
Tuggar told TheCable on Sunday.
Nigeria’s push for Benin’s membership in the PSC is believed
to enable the neighbouring country to strengthen its defence against further
attempted coups.
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