Benin’s government on Sunday said it had thwarted an attempted coup, just hours after a group of soldiers announced on state television that they had ousted President Patrice Talon.
The soldiers, calling themselves the “Military Committee for Refoundation” (CMR), claimed they had removed Talon as president. Military and security sources confirmed that around a dozen soldiers had been arrested, including those involved in the coup bid.
The West African region has experienced several coups in recent years, including in Benin’s northern neighbors Niger and Burkina Faso, as well as Mali, Guinea, and most recently, Guinea-Bissau.
Talon, who has overseen a decade of solid economic growth but also faced rising jihadist violence, is due to hand over power in April next year at the end of his second term.
Early on Sunday, the CMR announced on state television that they had met and decided that “Mr. Patrice Talon is removed from office as president of the republic.” Shortly after, a source close to Talon confirmed to AFP that the president was safe and condemned the coup plotters as “a small group of people who only control the television.”
“The regular army is regaining control. The city (Cotonou) and the country are completely secure,” said the source. “It’s just a matter of time before everything returns to normal. The clean-up is progressing well.”
Benin’s Interior Minister, Alassane Seidou, described the soldiers’ announcement as “a mutiny” aimed at destabilizing the country and its institutions. He added that the Beninese Armed Forces maintained control and foiled the attempt.
AFP correspondents reported hearing gunfire early Sunday in Cotonou, while soldiers blocked access to the presidential offices and the state television building. However, residents continued their daily routines. A military source confirmed that the situation was “under control” and that the coup plotters had not taken Talon’s residence or presidential offices.
The rebel soldiers, appearing on television armed with assault rifles and wearing berets, proclaimed Lieutenant Colonel Pascal Tigri as “president” of their committee. They cited deteriorating security in northern Benin, neglect of fallen soldiers and their families, and alleged unjust promotions as their motivations.
ECOWAS condemned the actions as “unconstitutional” and a “subversion of the will of the Beninese people,” while the African Union urged soldiers to return to their barracks and condemned the coup attempt.
Benin’s political history has been marked by multiple coups since independence from France in 1960. Talon, a 67-year-old former businessman known as the “cotton king of Cotonou,” came to power in 2016 and will complete his constitutionally limited second term in 2026. While praised for economic development, critics regularly accuse him of authoritarian practices.- AFP
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