Benin’s foiled coup: How it unfolded and what we know

Benin’s President Patrice Talon has claimed that the concern is “completely nether control” successful the Western African federation aft the authorities thwarted an attempted coup connected Sunday.

Calm returned connected Monday to Cotonou, Benin’s administrative centre, aft sporadic gunshots were heard crossed the metropolis passim Sunday, but a dense beingness of soldiers remained connected the streets.

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Early connected Sunday, soldiers calling themselves the Military Committee for Refoundation declared connected authorities tv they had toppled Talon, who has been successful powerfulness since 2016, prompting a swift effect from loyal service forces, joined by aerial attacks and unit deployments from neighbouring Nigeria.

Talon archetypal took bureau successful 2016 and was re-elected successful 2021.

Several West African nations person faced coups successful caller years, including Benin’s bluish neighbours, Niger and Burkina Faso, arsenic good arsenic Mali, Chad, Guinea and, astir recently, Guinea-Bissau, wherever soldiers seized powerfulness past period aft disputed predetermination results.

Here is however the failed coup effort unfolded:

Who was down the coup attempt?

A radical of soldiers stormed the nationalist tv connected Sunday morning, claiming to person seized power.

Eight soldiers appeared successful a broadcast announcing the removal of President Talon, dissolution of the authorities and suspension of each authorities institutions.

The soldiers said Lieutenant Colonel Pascal Tigri had been appointed president of the subject committee.

In their televised statement, the coup plotters mentioned the deteriorating information concern successful bluish Benin “coupled with the disregard and neglect of our fallen brothers-in-arms”.

How was the coup foiled?

In the afternoon, Interior Minister Alassane Seidou said successful a connection that Benin’s equipped forces had foiled the attempted coup.

“A tiny radical of soldiers launched a mutiny with the purpose of destabilising the state and its institutions,” said Seidou.

“Faced with this situation, the Beninese Armed Forces and their enactment maintained power of the concern and foiled the attempt,” helium added.

A vendor looks astatine newspapers displayed connected a stall successful Cotonou, connected December 8, 2025 [AFP]

Nigerian President Bola Tinubu confirmed deploying combatant jets and crushed troops to Benin to assistance foil the coup attempt. His bureau said Nigeria’s subject intervened aft Talon’s authorities issued 2 requests for help, including for “immediate Nigerian aerial support”.

Tinubu praised Nigeria’s equipped forces for lasting “as a defender and protector of law bid successful the Republic of Benin connected the invitation of the government”.

Later that evening, Talon came connected authorities television to corroborate Seidou’s announcement, promising to punish those responsible.

“I would similar to guarantee you that the concern is wholly nether power and truthful invitation you to calmly spell astir your activities starting this precise evening,” the president said.

The accelerated mobilisation of forces loyal to the authorities “allowed america to thwart these adventurers”, Talon said successful his remarks.

“This treachery volition not spell unpunished,” helium added.

Were determination immoderate arrests made?

A authorities spokesperson, Wilfried Leandre Houngbedji, said 14 radical had been arrested successful transportation with the coup attempt, without providing immoderate details.

It remains unclear if Lieutenant Colonel Tigri, the coup leader, had been apprehended.

Were determination immoderate casualties?

President Talon, successful his address, expressed his condolences “to the victims of this senseless adventure, arsenic good arsenic to those inactive being held by fleeing mutineers”.

“I guarantee them that we volition bash everything successful our powerfulness to find them harmless and sound,” helium added.

He did not supply immoderate further details.

What was the absorption to the coup?

African Union Commission Chairperson Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, successful a statement, “strongly and unequivocally condemns the subject coup attempt” successful Benin, stressing that immoderate signifier of subject interference successful governmental processes is “a sedate usurpation of the cardinal principles and values” of the AU.

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) successful a connection besides said it powerfully condemned the attempted subject coup and would enactment efforts by the authorities to reconstruct order.

ECOWAS said it has ordered the deployment of a determination unit comprising unit from Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Ivory Coast and Ghana to enactment Benin’s service to “preserve law bid and the territorial integrity of the Republic of Benin”.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned the attempted coup, saying it would “further endanger the stableness of the region”.

What you request to cognize astir Benin

Benin has a divers colonisation of astir 14 million.

Despite a past of coups pursuing its independency from France successful 1960, the tiny state has enjoyed uninterrupted antiauthoritarian regularisation successful the past 2 decades.

While the authoritative superior is Porto-Novo, the largest metropolis and de facto administrative hub is Cotonou.