Stake News Check #25 from 2/27/2026 to 3/11/2026 Political and Security Developments in West Africa
Several political and security developments have recently taken place across West Africa. In Benin, the National Police issued wanted notices for nine individuals suspected of involvement in the attempted coup of 7 December 2025 targeting President Patrice Talon, identifying Lieutenant-Colonel Pascal Tigri as the alleged leader of the plot. Also, among the wanted are Captains Castro Sambieni and Ousmane Samary. [1]
In Niger, authorities reported that armed individuals on motorcycles attacked the Tahoua airport airbase during the night of 9 March 2026, damaging several drone hangars. Security forces said several attackers were neutralized and five suspects arrested. [2]
On the Mali side,On 28 January, the Court of Justice of the West African Economic and Monetary Union annulled sanctions imposed on Mali in January 2022 by the conference of heads of state of the Union, ruling that the measures lacked a legal basis. The sanctions, which included border closures and financial restrictions, had been introduced in coordination with the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) following the military takeover in Mali. [3]
Meanwhile, Guinea released 16 soldiers and police officers from Sierra Leone who had been detained earlier in the week following a border incident in the town of Kalieyereh, after a delegation led by Sierra Leone’s foreign minister visited Conakry. [4]
At the regional level, military chiefs from member states of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) meeting in Freetown, discussed plans to establish a new regional force of about 2,000 troops to address terrorism and insecurity across West Africa, although operational and financing details are still under discussion. [5]
Sources :
1]Benin
2]Niger
3]Mali
4]Guinea - Sierra Leone
5]ECOWAS