Loyalist Armed Forces Foil Benin Coup Attempt
Benin’s interior minister says a coup attempt announced earlier on Sunday has been thwarted by loyalist forces.
In a video message posted on Facebook, Interior Minister Alassane Seidou revealed that “a small group of soldiers” launched a mutiny in the early hours of Sunday, December 7, 2025, aiming to destabilize the state and its institutions.
“Faced with this situation, the Beninese Armed Forces and their leadership, true to their oath, remained committed to the republic,” Seidou stated.
Earlier in the day, a group of soldiers appeared on the national broadcaster to declare the dissolution of the government in what appeared to be the latest coup attempt in West Africa.
The group, calling itself the Military Committee for Refoundation, claimed to have removed the president and dismantled state institutions. They announced Lt. Col. Pascal Tigri as chairman of the military committee.
Benin, which gained independence from France in 1960, experienced several coups in the decades that followed. However, since 1991, the country has enjoyed relative political stability after the long rule of Marxist-Leninist leader Mathieu Kérékou.
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There has been no official communication regarding the whereabouts or safety of President Patrice Talon after gunshots were reported near the presidential residence. The signal of state television and public radio, which was briefly cut, has now been restored.
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) condemned the attempted coup, describing it as an “unconstitutional move” and a “subversion of the will of the people of Benin.”
“ECOWAS will support the government and people of Benin in all necessary forms to defend the constitution and the nation’s territorial integrity,” the bloc said in a statement.
President Talon, in office since 2016, is expected to leave power next April following the presidential election. His party’s candidate, former Finance Minister Romuald Wadagni, is widely seen as the frontrunner after the electoral commission disqualified opposition contender Renaud Agbodjo for lacking adequate sponsorship.
In January, two of Talon’s associates received 20-year prison sentences over an alleged 2024 coup plot. And just last month, Benin’s legislature extended presidential terms from five to seven years, although the two-term limit remains unchanged.
Sunday’s attempted coup adds to a growing list of military takeovers across West Africa. Only last month, Guinea-Bissau’s former President Umaro Embaló was ousted following a disputed election in which both major candidates claimed victory.
By PRNigeria
