Shortly after the announcement, the signal of the national broadcaster was cut.

The soldiers, identifying themselves as the Military Committee for Refoundation, declared that the president and all state institutions had been removed.

They said Lt. Col. Pascal Tigri had been appointed as the committee’s new leader.

Benin, which gained independence from France in 1960, experienced multiple coups in the decades that followed.

However, the country had remained politically stable since 1991, after the end of Marxist-Leninist leader Mathieu Kérékou’s two-decade rule.

“Everything is fine,” government spokesperson Wilfried Houngbedji told The Associated Press, without providing further details. There has been no official information about President Patrice Talon’s whereabouts since gunfire was reported near the presidential residence. Both state television and public radio went off air after the military’s declaration.

Talon’s office later said that loyalist forces had brought the situation “under control.”

A source close to the president also told AFP that Talon was safe and that regular army units were regaining control. Talon has been in power since 2016 and was due to step down next April following presidential elections.

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Over May and June 2025, JNIM reportedly killed more than 400 soldiers and seized territory around key towns including Djibo and Diapaga in Burkina Faso.

The strategic shift away from rural insurgency toward territorial encirclement of capital cities marks JNIM’s transformation into a potential quasi-state actor.

The group has claimed control, however temporary, over urban areas—holding Djibo for 11 hours and Diapaga for multiple days—moving beyond guerrilla warfare into political dominance.

How JNIM Is Reshaping the Sahel

Leadership and Ambition
Under veteran Islamist Iyad Ag Ghaly—once a Tuareg rebel and former musician turned jihadi leader—JNIM has grown into the region’s most formidable militant organization, numbered at 6,000 to 7,000 fighters. Ag Ghaly’s ultimate aim is binding control from western Mali through southern Niger and into coastal states like Benin and Togo under an Islamic governance structure.

Tactics and Resources
JNIM now deploys drones, heavy weapons, and organized logistics, funded by raiding, cattle theft, kidnapping, taxation, and looting military hardware. These capabilities distinguish it from previously rural, low-technology insurgents.

Community Outreach and Local Support
The group has increasingly positioned itself as a defender of marginalized communities—especially the Fulani, who have faced state violence. By providing minimal governance, low‑lethality enforcement, and “protection taxes,” they seek local legitimacy and recruits.

Expanding Reach into Coastal West Africa

JNIM is extending operations into northern Benin and Togo, exploiting porous borders and limited state capacity. Analysts warn these littoral countries remain especially vulnerable to further expansion, trafficking networks, and destabilization across the Gulf of Guinea.

Regional Impacts and Broader Threats

Human Cost
May 2025 saw the deadliest period on record in the Sahel with over 850 fatalities in jihadist attacks across affected countries, according to ACLED data.

State Weakness and Strategic Vacuum
Burkina Faso reportedly has up to 60% of its territory under militant influence. The withdrawal of Western forces and pivot to Russian mercenaries has weakened intelligence and force projection capabilities among the juntas now governing the Sahel states.

International Alarm
U.S. Africa Command Chief Gen. Michael Langley has described the Sahel as the “epicenter of terrorism,” warning JNIM has quadrupled in size since 2022. He emphasized that renewed militant access to coastal trade routes could pose transcontinental threats, including to Europe and the U.S. homeland.

What’s at Stake

Security analysts warn JNIM’s goal of eventual control over capitals like Ouagadougou and Bamako is increasingly plausible. Its operations underscore one of the most perilous periods for the Sahel in recent memory, reigniting fears of the rise of a West African caliphate with political and territorial ambitions beyond jihadist rhetoric.

A coordinated, multi-faceted regional and international response is urgently needed—combining military support, intelligence sharing, reconciliation efforts, and community-based initiatives to undercut JNIM’s narrative and legitimacy.

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In an official letter obtained by the BBC, India’s Drugs Controller General, Dr. Rajeev Singh Raghuvanshi, confirmed that approval for manufacturing and exporting these drugs had been revoked.

A BBC Eye investigation revealed that Indian pharmaceutical company Aveo had been illegally exporting a dangerous combination of tapentadol, a potent opioid, and carisoprodol, a highly addictive muscle relaxant, to countries including Ghana, Nigeria, and Côte d’Ivoire.

Following these findings, India’s Food and Drug Administration (FDA) raided Aveo’s Mumbai-based factory, seizing its entire stock.

Dr. Raghuvanshi’s circular, dated Friday, explicitly referenced the BBC’s findings as a key factor in the immediate ban on all tapentadol-carisoprodol combinations.

He cited concerns over the drugs’ high potential for abuse and their devastating impact on public health.

Tapentadol and Carisoprodol

Carisoprodol is banned in Europe due to its addictive properties but remains approved for short-term use—up to three weeks—in the United States.

Withdrawal symptoms can include anxiety, insomnia, and hallucinations.

The combination of tapentadol and carisoprodol is not licensed anywhere in the world, as it poses severe health risks, including respiratory failure, seizures, and potentially fatal overdoses.

Despite these dangers, the drugs are widely used as street narcotics in West Africa, where they are cheap and easily accessible.

Publicly available export data reveals that Aveo Pharmaceuticals, along with its sister company Westfin International, has shipped millions of these pills to Ghana and other West African nations.

The BBC World Service also discovered Aveo-branded pill packets being sold on the streets of Nigeria and in towns and cities across Côte d’Ivoire.

With a population of 225 million, Nigeria represents the largest market for these opioids.

According to the country’s National Bureau of Statistics, an estimated four million Nigerians misuse some form of opioid.

As part of its investigation, the BBC deployed an undercover operative posing as an African businessman seeking to supply opioids to Nigeria.

The operative infiltrated one of Aveo’s factories in India, capturing footage of Aveo director Vinod Sharma showcasing the same harmful products the BBC had traced to West Africa.

In the covert recording, the operative tells Sharma that the pills will be sold to Nigerian teenagers “who all love this product.” Sharma responds with a casual “OK” and explains that taking two or three pills at once allows users to “relax” and get “high.”

Later in the conversation, Sharma acknowledges, “This is very harmful for the health,” but dismisses the concerns, stating, “Nowadays, this is business.”

Neither Sharma nor Aveo Pharmaceuticals responded to the BBC’s request for comment following the publication of the initial investigation.

In a statement on Friday, India’s FDA confirmed that a sting operation led to the seizure of Aveo’s entire stock and the suspension of further production.

Legal action against the company is now underway.

The agency emphasized its commitment to cracking down on illegal pharmaceutical activities, declaring that it is “fully prepared” to take action against those who tarnish the country’s reputation.

Additionally, officials have been instructed to conduct further inspections to prevent the continued supply of these dangerous drugs.

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