Benin’s Foreign Minister, Olushegun Bakari, has announced that an attempted military coup has been “foiled” and that the situation in the country is now under government control.
Earlier on Sunday, a group of soldiers appeared on national television declaring that they had seized power from President Patrice Talon. Identifying themselves as the Military Committee for the Refoundation of Benin, the group announced the dissolution of state institutions and named Lt. Col. Pascal Tigri as head of the military committee.
Bakari has since dismissed the claims, stating that the “largest part of the army and the national guard remain loyal to President Talon” and are actively securing key installations. He insisted that authorities have regained control, although independent verification remains difficult.
Reports of gunfire near President Talon’s residence in Cotonou, the country’s economic hub, continue to circulate, but details remain unclear.
The developments come against the backdrop of heightened political tension in the West African nation. In January, two associates of President Talon were sentenced to 20 years in prison over an alleged coup plot—an incident that raised questions about internal political stability.
West Africa has witnessed a surge in coups and attempted overthrows in recent years, including successful military takeovers in Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, and most recently, the toppling of Guinea-Bissau’s President Umaro Sissoco Embaló just last week.
Benin, bordered by Togo and Nigeria, had long been considered one of the region’s more stable democracies. Sunday’s attempted coup, however, underscores growing security and governance pressures spreading across the region.
This publication could not independently verify the full extent of the situation at the time of publication.