LOYAL TROOPS IN BENIN SUPPRESS ATTEMPTED COUP, SAYS INTERIOR MINISTER

Sun 07 December 2025:

Benin’s Interior Minister, Alassane Seidou, announced that the country’s armed forces successfully foiled an attempted coup d’état in the West African nation.

“A small group of soldiers launched a mutiny with the aim of destabilising the country and its institutions,” said Seidou on Sunday.

“Faced with this situation, the Beninese Armed Forces and their leadership maintained control of the situation and foiled the attempt,” he added.

Earlier, Benin’s government said loyalist soldiers and national guard had regained control after a group of soldiers announced on state television that they had seized power in an apparent coup attempt.

Foreign Minister Olushegun Adjadi Bakari said on Sunday that the coup plotters had taken control of state TV only and that the signal had been cut for several minutes.

“There is an attempt, but the situation is under control. Now it’s a small group of military. A large part of the army is still loyalist, and we are taking over the situation,” Bakari told the Reuters news agency.

A group of at least eight soldiers led by Lieutenant Colonel Pascal Tigri had appeared on screen to claim the overthrow of President Patrice Talon, who has been in power since 2016, as well as all state institutions. They also claimed that the country’s borders had been closed and that all political parties had been suspended.

The troops referred to themselves as part of the “Military Committee for Refoundation” (CMR).

“The army solemnly commits to give the Beninese people the hope of a truly new era, where fraternity, justice and work prevail,” said a statement read by one of the soldiers.

Following the takeover attempt, the president’s office stated that Talon was safe and that the army was gradually regaining control, according to the AFP news agency.

“This is a small group of people who only control the television,” the presidency told AFP.

“The regular army is regaining control. The city and the country are completely secure,” it said.

The French embassy said at the time of the state TV takeover that “gunfire was reported at Camp Guezo” near the president’s official residence in Cotonou, the country’s largest city.

An AFP journalist in Cotonou reported that soldiers were blocking access to the presidency and state television, as well as a five-star hotel and districts housing international institutions. But there was no military presence at the airport and the remainder of the city, and residents were going about their business, the agency reported.

The apparent coup attempt “does not come as a surprise to anyone”, Adama Gaye, a former director of communications at ECOWAS, told Al Jazeera.

He stated that there has been a lot of political tension in the country, with many opposition members imprisoned.

Talon had managed to “eliminate key people in the opposition party, including former President Boni Yayi”, Gaye said, adding that he had designated his finance minister to take over the reins after the next election.

In recent years, numerous coups have occurred across Africa, particularly in West Africa.

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African Union ‘unequivocally condemns’ coup attempt

A statement said AU Commission Chairperson Mahmoud Ali Youssouf “strongly and unequivocally condemns the military coup attempt” in Benin, stressing that any form of military interference in political processes is “a grave violation of the fundamental principles and values” of the AU.

The statement also reaffirmed the bloc’s support for Talon, the legitimate authorities of Benin and its people.

“The African Union stands ready, in coordination with regional and international partners, to accompany the Government and People of Benin toward the full restoration of constitutional normalcy and the strengthening of democratic institutions.”

What has been happening in Benin recently?

The coup attempt has come as Benin is preparing for a presidential election in April that would mark the end of the tenure of Talon, who has been in power since 2016.

Last month, Benin adopted a new constitution that extended the presidential mandate from five to seven years, in what critics said was a power grab by the ruling coalition, which nominated Finance Minister Romuald Wadagni to be its candidate.

The opposition Democrats party, founded by Talon’s predecessor, Thomas Boni Yayi, saw its proposed candidate rejected because of what a court ruled was insufficient backing from lawmakers.

Talon has been credited with reviving economic growth, but the country has also seen an increasing number of attacks by fighters that have wreaked havoc in Mali and Burkina Faso.

In April, Benin’s government said 54 soldiers were killed in an attack in the north by an affiliate of al-Qaeda.

SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES

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