EP 040: Benin’s Failed Coup and Washington ‘Steals’ DR Congo Peace Deal

In this episode, we take a deep dive into yet another failed military coup in West Africa and what it reveals about shifting power dynamics across the continent. We unpack how Nigeria, alongside other regional and international players, moved quickly to freeze what many have begun calling the “coup belt,” and why this particular intervention mattered.

The conversation then widens to the diplomatic fallout playing out in real time. We examine why several African leaders appeared to sideline Luanda, the East African Community (EAC), and the African Union (AU), instead gravitating toward a Washington-brokered DRC–Rwanda “peace” deal—raising serious questions about sovereignty, influence, and who ultimately shapes African security outcomes.
We also place these developments within a broader global context, looking at how Africa is being positioned and perceived on the world stage at a moment marked by open diplomatic snubs, inflammatory rhetoric, and strained relationships—particularly during the same period Donald Trump made derogatory remarks about Somalia and excluded South Africa from key G20 engagements.

This episode connects the dots between coups, diplomacy, external influence, and the uncomfortable realities of global power politics—offering context beyond the headlines and asking what these moments mean for Africa’s political future.