About 200 West African soldiers, mostly from Nigeria and Ivory Coast, are in Benin after Sunday's failed coup attempt. Benin’s Foreign Minister Olushegun Adjadi Bakari told journalists on Thursday that some troops stayed on for "sweep and clean-up operations." The failed coup involved mutineers seizing a military base and state TV headquarters. Nigeria deployed fighter jets to push them out. "There are currently around 200 soldiers present, who came to lend a hand at the end of the day to the Beninese defence and security forces," Bakari said in Abuja, Nigeria's capital. The leader of the failed coup is believed to be hiding in neighboring Togo. Rebel soldiers said they acted because of President Patrice Talon’s poor management, especially amid rising insecurity in northern Benin. The regional bloc Ecowas sent troops from Nigeria, Ghana, Sierra Leone, and Ivory Coast to secure key sites and stop violence from spreading. Bakari noted the coup was already failing when Benin asked for help. Nigeria’s Foreign Minister Yusuf Maitama Tuggar said fast diplomatic and military coordination helped stop the coup. The exact length of foreign troops’ stay remains undecided but will involve close talks with Benin’s forces, which "have demonstrated their bravery," said Bakari. Nigeria called the attempt a "direct assault on democracy." French special forces reportedly helped loyal troops too, but their current presence is unclear. Ecowas, pressured by recent coups in the region, is showing stronger support for democratically elected governments. Benin’s army has faced attacks near its northern border, where jihadist groups from Niger and Burkina Faso operate. President Talon, a Western ally, plans to step down next year after his second term, with elections set for April.