Bénin has recently joined the expanding roster of African nations where military personnel have attempted to seize control since 2020. The military takeover unfolded over several hours on a Sunday before authorities ultimately declared it had been thwarted.
In a scenario that has become increasingly familiar across West Africa, a contingent of soldiers appeared on Bénin’s state television on Sunday, proclaiming the removal of President Patrice Talon and the dissolution of the government following a swift power grab.
However, within hours, Bénin’s Minister of Interior, Alassane Seidou, released an online video asserting that the coup d’état had been successfully suppressed. Seidou clarified that the involved soldiers “instigated a mutiny with the aim of destabilizing the state and its institutions,” adding that the armed forces remained “steadfastly committed to the Republic.”
Below is a chronological overview of military coups in Africa, frequently marked by disputed elections, constitutional upheavals, security crises, and widespread youth dissatisfaction:
Mali: august 2020 and may 2021
Since August 2020, Mali has experienced two successive military coups. In the initial incident, a group of soldiers mutinied and apprehended senior military officials near Bamako, following weeks of civilian protests demanding the resignation of President Ibrahim Keïta, who faced accusations of corruption and an inability to combat armed groups.
Colonel Assimi Goïta, the military leader, subsequently entered into a power-sharing arrangement with civilian President Bah Ndaw, with Goïta assuming the role of vice president in the transitional government. By 2021, Goïta had ousted Ndaw after a series of disagreements, establishing himself as president. He then postponed an election originally scheduled for 2022 until 2027.
Mali is part of a three-nation bloc of landlocked West African countries, alongside Burkina Faso and Niger, all currently governed by military juntas. These nations have formed their own alliance after withdrawing from ECOWAS, signaling strong opposition to a swift return to democratic rule.
Chad: april 2021
Following the passing of his father in 2021, Mahamat Idriss Déby, an army general, swiftly assumed authority, thereby extending three decades of family governance in this Central African nation.
Three years later, he conducted the election he had pledged upon taking power. Déby was declared the victor, a result the opposition widely condemned as rigged. Since then, he has intensified efforts to suppress dissent. Earlier this year, former Prime Minister Succès Masra, a prominent opposition figure, received a 20-year prison sentence.
Guinea: september 2021
After 11 years in office, Alpha Condé was overthrown by a group of soldiers led by Mamady Doumbouya. In 2020, Condé had controversially amended the Constitution to enable him to seek a third presidential term.
Doumbouya is slated to contest the December elections and aims to transition from his military role, particularly after a referendum earlier this year authorized junta members to participate in elections and extended the presidential term length from five to seven years.
Sudan: october 2021
The Sudanese military, under the command of General Abdel-Fattah Burhan, executed a coup in October 2021, deposing Omar el-Béchir, who had governed the nation for 26 years.
Burhan subsequently entered into a power-sharing agreement with Muhammad Dangalo, widely known as Hemetti, the commander of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
By April 2023, a simmering rivalry between the two leaders erupted into one of the world’s most devastating conflicts, as characterized by the United Nations. The warfare continues to this day.
Burkina Faso: january and september 2022
Similar to its neighbor Mali, Burkina Faso experienced two successive coups. In January 2022, Roch Kaboré was overthrown by Lieutenant-Colonel Paul-Henri Damiba. By September, Captain Ibrahim Traoré, who commanded an artillery unit within the Burkinabè army, deposed Damiba, citing the same justification as the previous coup: a worsening security situation.
Traoré has since been leading the country. In July, he dissolved the independent electoral commission.
Niger: july 2023
General Abdourahamane Tchiani orchestrated the overthrow of Mohamed Bazoum, bringing an end to a rare democratic transition in Niger. This dramatic coup triggered a crisis within ECOWAS, which responded with threats of military intervention in Niger if Bazoum was not reinstated and the country did not revert to democratic governance.
The crisis subsequently fractured the region, with Niger aligning itself with Burkina Faso and Mali to establish the Alliance of Sahel States.
Gabon: august 2023
Shortly after President Ali Bongo, who had served for 14 years and was seeking a third term, was declared the winner of the 2023 election, a group of soldiers appeared on television to announce their seizure of power. They proceeded to annul the election results and dismantle all state institutions.
Brice Oligui Nguema, a cousin of Bongo, assumed power and has since led Gabon, having been declared the winner of the April presidential election.
Madagascar: october 2025
Expressing profound frustration over persistent water shortages and electricity outages, young people in Madagascar took to the streets to demand the resignation of former President Andry Rajoelina.
Instead of stepping down, Rajoelina dissolved his government, leading to a military takeover in this Southern African nation.
Guinea-Bissau: november 2025
On November 26, soldiers in Guinea-Bissau seized control following a contentious presidential election three days prior. Critics, including the opposition, characterized the coup as a staged power grab designed to prevent the incumbent president’s electoral defeat.
Both the sitting President Umaro Sissoco Embaló and the primary opposition leader, Fernando Dias, asserted victory in the November 23 election.
Embaló was subsequently released and permitted to flee to neighboring Senegal, from where he has since departed. The newly established military junta proceeded to make appointments, including several individuals who were allies of the deposed president.
Bénin: december 2025
Less than two weeks after the events in Guinea-Bissau, soldiers orchestrated a similar power seizure in Bénin following reports of gunfire near the presidential palace.
A group of soldiers, identifying themselves as the Military Committee for Refoundation, appeared on state television to announce that the nation’s leader, Patrice Talon, had been deposed and that state institutions were dissolved.
The soldiers appointed Lieutenant-Colonel Pascal Tigri as the president of the military committee.
However, within hours, officials declared that the coup had been successfully foiled by the armed forces and that the military remained “committed to the Republic.”
