In acting so quickly, Ecowas has perhaps learned a lesson from its misjudged response to the 2023 coup in Niger. And this seems to have had popular support in Cotonou. Simmering grievancesThis was just the latest in a string of coup attempts across the region, though most of the others have succeeded. But national conditions are often the major driver for each upheaval or coup attempt. Whereas the Benin rebels seem to have been motivated by a mix of army grievances, and broader political and economic complaints.