Bénin’s government declares a foiled coup attempt

Authorities in Bénin have announced they successfully thwarted an attempted coup aimed at overthrowing President Patrice Talon. The president assured the public that the situation was “totally under control,” with the West African bloc ECOWAS pledging military backing.

This attempted putsch occurs just months before President Talon is set to conclude his second term. Bénin, a small West African nation known for its robust economic growth, has recently faced increasing jihadist violence in its northern regions.

West Africa has experienced significant political instability since the start of the decade, marked by coups in Mali, Burkina Faso (both neighbors of Bénin), Guinea, and, most recently in late November, Guinea-Bissau.

On Sunday morning, after gunfire was reported near the presidential palace, military personnel appeared on national television to declare President Talon’s ousting. They cited various reasons, including the “deterioration of the security situation” and challenges to “fundamental freedoms.”

However, just hours later, Bénin’s Interior Minister, Alassane Seidou, broadcast his own message on national television, confirming that the coup had been foiled.

President Patrice Talon later reiterated this in a brief address to the nation on Sunday evening, affirming that the situation was “totally under control” and that “security and public order will be maintained across the national territory.”

“This act of betrayal will not go unpunished,” he stated, having previously commended the Republican Guard soldiers upon his arrival at the presidential palace.

France, the former colonial power, condemned the coup attempt on Sunday evening and advised its citizens to “exercise utmost caution and notably remain confined” due to an “still volatile context.”

In Cotonou, Bénin’s economic capital, most residents went about their day, but the streets emptied earlier than usual in the evening, according to an Agence France-Presse (AFP) journalist.

Several military checkpoints were established around the presidential district and the nearby Guézo military camp.

“Tonight, we’ll try to get home earlier. We don’t know who is behind this coup attempt,” explained Michelle Eudoxie, a 50-year-old hairdresser, to AFP.

Nabil Sacca, a gasoline vendor who was near the presidential palace that morning, recounted, “This morning I started hearing gunshots. I left the neighborhood to go elsewhere because I was scared.”

West African troops deployed

Military sources informed AFP that approximately a dozen soldiers were apprehended. Among them were some of those involved in the coup attempt, a security source indicated, without specifying if the alleged leader, Lieutenant-Colonel Pascal Tigri, was among the detained.

Late Sunday afternoon, Nigerian aviation conducted strikes in Cotonou, consistent with “protocols of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS),” according to Nigerian Air Force spokesperson General Ehimen Ejodamen, who did not disclose specific targets.

ECOWAS subsequently announced the “immediate deployment” of troops from Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Côte d’Ivoire, and Ghana to support Bénin’s “government and republican army” and to “preserve constitutional order.”

The ECOWAS Standby Force is mandated to ensure peace and stability in the region. For instance, it intervened in Gambia in 2017 when the outgoing president, Yahya Jammeh, refused to relinquish power.

However, the force ultimately chose not to intervene in 2023 following the coup in Niger.

The African Union (AU) “firmly and unequivocally” condemned this attempted coup.

Bénin’s political history has seen several coups or attempts, though the last successful one dates back to 1972.

“Today, it felt as if I was reliving what our parents experienced back then,” remarked Remy Agblo, a vendor, “fortunately, it was thwarted.”

President Patrice Talon, in power since 2016, will complete his second and final constitutional term in 2026.

His designated successor, current Finance Minister Romuald Wadagni, is widely considered the frontrunner for the April 2026 presidential election, especially as the main opposition party has been excluded from the race.

“There has been a palpable tension in the country for months due to the elections,” observed Anatole Zinsou, an IT professional in Cotonou, who lamented the “exclusion” of certain political actors from the electoral processes.

While praised for Bénin’s economic development, Patrice Talon is frequently accused by critics of steering the country towards authoritarianism, despite its past reputation for dynamic democracy.