Benin’s president has said the “situation is completely under control” after authorities halted an attempted takeover with the help of loyal troops and support from Nigerian forces.
A faction of soldiers had earlier appeared on state television declaring they had removed President Patrice Talon from power.
The announcement prompted a rapid pushback from regular troops, aided by air operations and military deployments from neighbouring Nigeria.
Beninese military and security officials said around a dozen soldiers had been taken into custody, including those suspected of planning the failed takeover.
The region has witnessed several coups in recent years, including in Benin’s northern neighbours Niger and Burkina Faso, as well as Mali, Guinea and, most recently, Guinea-Bissau.
“I would like to assure you that the situation is completely under control and therefore invite you to calmly go about your activities starting this very evening,” Talon said late Sunday on state broadcaster Benin TV.
Talon is expected to leave office in April next year after a decade in power, a period marked by economic progress but also a rise in jihadist attacks.
Regional support
Earlier on Sunday, soldiers under the banner of the “Military Committee for Refoundation” (CMR) appeared on state TV claiming they had met and resolved that “Mr Patrice Talon is removed from office as president of the republic”.
Shortly after their declaration, however, a source close to Talon said the president was unharmed, describing the coup leaders as “a small group of people who only control the television”.
“The regular army is regaining control. The city (Cotonou) and the country are completely secure,” the source added.
“It’s just a matter of time before everything returns to normal. The clean-up is progressing well.”
Interior Minister Alassane Seidou later appeared on state television confirming that “the Beninese Armed Forces and their leadership maintained control of the situation and foiled the attempt”.
Later Sunday, Nigerian fighter aircraft targeted undisclosed locations as Beninese forces continued countercoup operations, according to a source in the Nigerian presidency.
West Africa’s regional bloc ECOWAS also announced that personnel from Ghana, Ivory Coast, Nigeria and Sierra Leone were being deployed to help the authorities “preserve constitutional order”.
A statement from Nigerian President Bola Tinubu’s office confirmed that Nigerian troops had already crossed into Benin and that the air force was supporting operations at the request of Benin’s foreign ministry.
Situation ‘under control’
Witnesses reported hearing gunfire early Sunday in parts of Cotonou, the country’s economic hub, while soldiers restricted access to the presidential complex and the state broadcaster’s premises.
Elsewhere in the city, residents continued their daily activities.
“The coup was foiled, thank God. But we have to think about what to do so this kind of thing doesn’t happen again,” one street vendor in Cotonou, Adam Aminou, said.
“We had a few scary moments,” said retired teacher Jennifer Adokpeto.
“We really thought, seeing the statement being repeated on a loop on TV, that it was really a coup d’etat and that our country was going to go the way of some of our neighbours,” she added.
A military source verified that the situation was indeed “under control” and that the coup group had been unable to seize Talon’s home or the presidential offices.
This could not be immediately confirmed because access to those zones and other locations in the city was blocked, including the Sofitel hotel and districts hosting international missions.
Condemnation
The eight soldiers who appeared on television carried rifles and wore berets of different colours.
They installed lieutenant colonel Pascal Tigri as “president” of their “refoundation” committee and justified their actions by pointing to the “continuous deterioration of the security situation in northern Benin”.
They also denounced the “neglect of soldiers killed in action and their families left to fend for themselves” and alleged “unjust promotions at the expense of the most deserving”.
The African Union issued a statement saying it “unequivocally condemns” the coup attempt.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he was “deeply concerned by the attempt to unconstitutionally seize power in Benin”, noting that such developments could “further threaten the stability of the region”.
France, the former colonial ruler, and the Organisation of French-speaking Countries (OIF) also condemned the attempted takeover.
Benin’s political past has included several coups and coup attempts since independence from France in 1960.
Talon, a 67-year-old entrepreneur often called the “cotton king of Cotonou”, took office in 2016 and is credited with boosting economic activity, though critics frequently accuse him of ruling with a heavy hand.
He is expected to complete his second and final term in 2026 as stipulated by the constitution.
