Sierra Leone Troops to Contribute as ECOWAS Deploys Standby Force to Benin Following Attempted Coup

Sierra Leone has been called upon to send troops as part of a new regional security mission approved by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to help stabilize the Republic of Benin.
The announcement came on Sunday, December 7, 2025, following consultations within ECOWAS’s Mediation and Security Council, composed of Heads of State and Government.
The deployment, authorized by Sierra Leone’s President and current ECOWAS Chair Julius Maada Bio, activates provisions under Article 25(e) of the 1999 ECOWAS Protocol on conflict prevention and peacekeeping. The mission will include personnel from Sierra Leone, Nigeria, Côte d’Ivoire, and Ghana, working alongside Benin’s government and Republican Army to uphold constitutional order, protect territorial integrity, and reinforce democratic governance.