Beninese authorities declared on Sunday that they had successfully foiled an attempted coup d’état aimed at unseating President Patrice Talon. President Talon reassured the nation that the situation was “totally under control,” and the West African bloc ECOWAS pledged military support.
This attempted putsch occurs just months before Patrice Talon is set to conclude his second term as president. Benin, a small West African nation, has experienced robust economic growth but faces ongoing jihadist violence in its northern regions.
West Africa has been particularly affected by political instability since the beginning of the decade, marked by coups d’état in Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger — two of Benin’s neighbors — as well as in Guinea and, most recently in late November, in Guinea-Bissau.
On Sunday morning, following gunfire near the presidential palace, soldiers appeared on national television to announce President Talon’s ousting. They cited a range of grievances, including the “deterioration of the security situation” and challenges to “fundamental freedoms.”
Hours later, Benin’s Interior Minister, Alassane Seidou, also appeared on national television to confirm that the coup had been thwarted.
Patrice Talon himself corroborated 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 across the entire national territory.”
“This act of treason will not go unpunished,” he added, after commending the Republican Guard soldiers upon his arrival at the presidential palace.
France, the former colonial power, condemned the coup attempt on Sunday evening and urged its citizens “to exercise the utmost caution and, in particular, to remain confined,” citing an “still volatile context.”
After a day where most residents conducted their daily activities in Cotonou, the economic capital emptied earlier than usual in the evening, according to an Agence France-Presse (AFP) journalist.
Several military checkpoints were established in the vicinity of the presidency and the nearby Guézo military camp.
“Tonight, we’re trying to get home earlier. We don’t know who is behind this coup,” explained Michelle Eudoxie, a 50-year-old hairdresser, to AFP.
“This morning I started hearing gunshots. I left the neighborhood to go somewhere else because I was scared,” recounted Nabil Sacca, a gasoline vendor who was near the presidential palace in the morning.
West African troops deployed
According to military sources speaking to AFP, approximately a dozen soldiers have been apprehended. Among them are some of those responsible for the attempted putsch, a security source indicated, without specifying if the alleged leader of the mutineers, Lieutenant-Colonel Pascal Tigri, was among them.
In the late afternoon, Nigerian aviation conducted strikes in Cotonou “in connection with the protocols of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS),” according to Nigerian Air Force spokesman General Ehimen Ejodamen, who did not specify the targets.
ECOWAS 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 Benin and “preserve constitutional order.”
The ECOWAS 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) “strongly and unequivocally” condemned this attempted coup.
Benin’s political history has been marked by several coups or attempts, but the most recent one dates back to 1972.
“Today, it’s as if I’m reliving what our parents experienced back then,” said Remy Agblo, a merchant, “fortunately, it was thwarted.”
Patrice Talon, who has been in power since 2016, will complete his second term, the constitutional maximum, in 2026.
His designated successor, current Finance Minister Romuald Wadagni, is considered the overwhelming favorite for the April 2026 presidential election, particularly since 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,” noted Anatole Zinsou, a computer scientist in Cotonou, who lamented the “exclusion” of certain actors from the electoral processes.
While lauded for Benin’s economic development, Patrice Talon is frequently accused by critics of steering the country towards authoritarianism, despite it once being celebrated for its vibrant democracy.