Opération Crevette

Operation Crevette is a meticulously researched account of the political instability leading to private mercenary action in Benin during the mid-twentieth century. This book brings together the voices of the involved mercenaries, political rulers, and local witnesses to reveal a struggle for power in the former French colony.

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Freshly out from under French colonial rule in 1960, the West African nation of Dahomey (now Benin) became home to the largest number of coups d’état in history, earning the reputation of the “sick child of Africa.” Country politics eventually aligned with Marxist and socialist ideologies stimulating French opposition that resulted in mercenary intervention. Operation Crevette: Benin, Mercenaries, and the Survival of a New State brings together the voices of the involved mercenaries, political rulers, and local witnesses to reveal a struggle for power in the former French colony. Operation Crevette was a mercenary operation which was intended to remove Benin’s 11th president from power in the 1970s. This book analyzes the political, social, and economic factors that led to this operation, as well as the foreign interference from nations like France and America. Monique and Les Sosnowski provide a unique perspective of international politics, exposing French instigated military intervention and the immense influence Western nations have played in shaping the Africa we know today.