A thwarted coup attempt was announced in Benin by the interior minister via a Facebook video on Sunday. Alassane Seidou stated that a small group of soldiers initiated a mutiny early on Sunday, aiming to destabilize the state and its institutions. However, the Beninese Armed Forces, staying true to their oath, remained loyal to the republic.
Earlier that day, a group of soldiers took to Benin’s state TV, declaring the government’s dissolution in what seemed to be a coup, adding to a series of such incidents in West Africa. The group, self-identified as the Military Committee for Refoundation, proclaimed the removal of the president and all state institutions, appointing Lt. Col. Pascal Tigri as the committee’s president.
Benin, post its independence from France in 1960, witnessed numerous coups, particularly in the years following its independence. The nation achieved political stability since 1991 after the Marxist-Leninist rule of Mathieu Kérékou for two decades.
Gunshots around the presidential residence raised concerns about President Patrice Talon’s safety, but official updates on him are yet to be released. Nevertheless, the previously disrupted signals to state television and public radio have been restored.
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) denounced the short-lived coup as unconstitutional, emphasizing its support for the Benin government and people to safeguard the constitution and the nation’s territorial integrity.
President Talon, in office since 2016, was expected to step down next April following the presidential election. Romuald Wadagni, Talon’s party nominee and former finance minister, is the frontrunner in the election, while opposition candidate Renaud Agbodjo faced disqualification by the electoral commission for insufficient sponsors.
In a previous incident, two associates of Talon were sentenced to 20 years in prison in January for their alleged involvement in a coup plot in 2024. Benin recently extended the presidential term from five to seven years while maintaining a two-term limit.
The coup in Benin is part of a broader trend of military takeovers in West Africa. In a similar event last month, a military coup in Guinea-Bissau ousted former president Umaro Embalo following a disputed election where both he and the opposition candidate claimed victory.
