Authorities in Bénin declared on Sunday that they successfully thwarted an attempted coup aimed at overthrowing President Patrice Talon. President Talon reassured the public that the situation was “totally under control,” and the West African bloc, CEDEAO (ECOWAS), has pledged to send military support.
This attempted putsch occurs just months before Patrice Talon is set to conclude his second term as president. Bénin, a small West African nation, has experienced robust economic growth but faces ongoing challenges from jihadist violence in its northern regions.
West Africa has been notably affected by political instability since the start of the decade, marked by coups d’état in Mali, Burkina Faso (two of Bénin’s neighbors), Niger, Guinea, and most recently, in late November, Guinea-Bissau.
On Sunday morning, following gunfire near the presidential palace, military personnel appeared on national television to announce President Talon’s deposition. They cited a range of grievances, including the “deterioration of the security situation” and challenges to “fundamental freedoms.”
Hours later, Bénin’s Interior Minister, Alassane Seidou, also appeared on national television to confirm that the coup attempt had been foiled.
Patrice Talon himself affirmed this in a brief address to the nation on Sunday evening, stating that the situation was “totally under control” and that “security and public order will be maintained throughout the national territory.”
He added, “This treachery will not go unpunished,” after commending the Republican Guard soldiers upon his arrival at the presidential palace.
France, the former colonial power, condemned the attempted coup on Sunday evening, urging its citizens “to exercise the utmost caution and particularly to remain confined,” citing an “still volatile context.”
After a day where most residents conducted their business as usual in Cotonou, the economic capital emptied out earlier than typical in the evening, according to a journalist from Agence France-Presse (AFP).
Several military checkpoints were established around the presidential zone and the adjacent military camp of Guézo.
“Tonight, we’re going to try to go home earlier. We don’t know who is behind this coup attempt,” explained Michelle Eudoxie, a 50-year-old hairdresser, to AFP.
“This morning I started hearing gunshots. I left the neighborhood to go elsewhere because I was scared,” recounted Nabil Sacca, a petrol vendor who was near the presidential palace earlier that day.
West African troop deployment
Military sources informed AFP that approximately a dozen soldiers were apprehended. Among them were some of those involved in the attempted putsch, according to a security source, who did not specify if the leader of the mutineers, Lieutenant-Colonel Pascal Tigri, was among those detained.
In the late afternoon, Nigerian aviation conducted strikes in Cotonou “in connection with the protocols of the Economic Community of West African States (CEDEAO),” as stated by Nigerian Air Force spokesperson General Ehimen Ejodamen, who did not specify the targets.
CEDEAO subsequently announced the “immediate deployment” of troops from Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Côte d’Ivoire, and Ghana to support “the government and the republican army” of Bénin and “preserve constitutional order.”
The CEDEAO Standby Force is mandated to ensure peace and stability in the region. For instance, it deployed to Gambia in 2017 when then-President Yahya Jammeh refused to relinquish power.
However, it ultimately chose not to intervene in 2023 following the coup d’état in Niger.
The African Union (AU) “firmly and unequivocally” condemned this attempted coup.
Bénin’s political history has seen several coups or attempts, but the most recent successful one dates back to 1972.
“Today, it feels like I’m reliving what our parents experienced back then,” commented Remy Agblo, a merchant, “fortunately it was thwarted.”
Patrice Talon, who has been in power since 2016, will reach the end of his second term in 2026, the maximum allowed by the Constitution.
His designated successor, current Finance Minister Romuald Wadagni, is considered the overwhelming favorite for the April 2026 presidential election, especially after the main opposition party was excluded from the race.
“There has been a palpable tension in the country for months due to the elections,” noted Anatole Zinsou, a computer scientist in Cotonou, who deplores the “exclusion” of certain actors from the electoral processes.
While praised for Bénin’s economic development, Patrice Talon is frequently accused by critics of having shifted towards authoritarianism in a nation once celebrated for its vibrant democracy.
