Benin’s President Trumpets Defeat of Insurrection, Swears Severe Payback

Benin’s President, Patrice Talon, announced on Sunday that authorities and loyal security forces had successfully crushed an attempted military overthrow orchestrated by a faction of soldiers, vowing that those responsible would face severe consequences.

Talon’s televised address came roughly half a day after intense gunfire erupted across multiple districts of Cotonou—the nation’s bustling economic capital—where rogue soldiers briefly seized the state broadcaster to proclaim that they had toppled the government.

According to Talon, units aligned with the presidency “stood their ground, reclaimed strategic positions, and dismantled the final pockets of resistance held by the insurgents.”
He praised the armed forces, saying their discipline and readiness “foiled the ambitions of these reckless opportunists and shielded our nation from catastrophic turmoil… Such betrayal cannot and will not be ignored.”

The president expressed sympathy for those harmed during the chaos and for individuals reportedly detained by the fleeing rebels, though he gave no further details. Independent verification of casualties or hostages was not immediately available.

This upheaval marks the latest challenge to democratic governance in West Africa—a region shaken by successive military takeovers in Niger, Burkina Faso, Mali, Guinea and, just weeks ago, Guinea-Bissau.
But the attempted putsch stunned many observers in Benin, a country that had not seen a successful coup since 1972.

Government spokesperson Wilfried Léandre Houngbédji reported that 14 suspects had been detained by Sunday afternoon in connection with the conspiracy, although he withheld specifics.

At the request of the Beninese government, Nigeria deployed fighter jets to secure Benin’s skies and assist in flushing out the coup plotters from the national broadcaster and a military installation, according to a statement from President Bola Tinubu’s office. Nigeria also dispatched ground forces.
The African Union and West Africa’s regional bloc, ECOWAS, condemned the attempted takeover.
ECOWAS later confirmed that it had ordered the rapid deployment of elements of its standby force—including troops from Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Côte d’Ivoire, and Ghana—to reinforce stability.

GUNFIRE, EXPLOSIONS SHAKE COTONOU

Early Sunday, at least eight armed soldiers appeared on state television declaring that a military council, led by Colonel Tigri Pascal, had dissolved government institutions, suspended the constitution, and sealed all borders—air, land, and sea.
They claimed their action aimed to usher in “a genuinely new era for Beninese citizens, anchored in unity, justice, and hard work.”

The rebel group cited deteriorating security in northern Benin and alleged neglect of fallen comrades as justification.

Though Talon has been praised for revitalizing the economy since taking office in 2016, Benin has increasingly suffered spillover attacks from jihadist militants destabilizing neighboring Mali and Burkina Faso.

Foreign Minister Olushegun Adjadi Bakari told Reuters that the mutineers managed only a short-lived takeover of the national television station.

Gunshots echoed across several communities in Cotonou on Sunday morning as worshippers attempted to get to church.
The French embassy warned its nationals to stay indoors after reports of gunfire near the president’s residence.

By midday, security forces had taken control of key junctions across the city.
Narcisse, a local furniture dealer, said he heard the first volley at around 8 a.m. and watched police vehicles race by.
“I panicked, dragged my furniture inside, and shut the shop. Things calmed down a bit later, so I reopened,” he recounted.

Residents again heard bursts of gunfire and explosions later in the evening, but the noises subsided shortly before Talon addressed the nation.

ELECTION SEASON APPROACHES

Benin is gearing up for a presidential election in April, which is expected to mark the end of Talon’s time in office.
Just last month, the country adopted a revised constitution that introduced a Senate and extended presidential terms from five to seven years—changes critics denounced as a consolidation of power by the ruling coalition, which has named Finance Minister Romuald Wadagni as its presidential contender.

The leading opposition force, the Democrats party founded by former president Thomas Boni Yayi, saw its preferred candidate barred by a court decision citing inadequate parliamentary endorsements.

According to Nina Wilen, head of the Africa Programme at the Egmont Institute in Belgium, the worsening insecurity in northern Benin likely influenced the soldiers’ actions.
Benin has suffered more jihadist attacks than any other coastal West African country, highlighted by deadly assaults in January and April that left dozens of troops dead.

Still, Wilen noted that Sunday’s attempted coup surprised many, given Benin’s remarkable stability in the decades following a string of coups soon after its independence from France in 1960.
“Going half a century without a coup is exceptional for a West African nation,” she said.

Source: Araba Sey