Benin’s government announced on Sunday that it successfully thwarted a coup attempt aimed at overthrowing President Patrice Talon. The president assured the public that the situation was “totally under control,” and the West African bloc ECOWAS swiftly pledged military support to the nation.

This attempted putsch occurs just months before President Talon is set to conclude his second term in office. Benin, a small West African country, has experienced robust economic growth but faces increasing jihadist violence in its northern regions.

West Africa has been particularly affected by political instability since the start of the decade, with coups occurring in Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger — two of Benin’s neighboring countries — as well as in Guinea and, most recently, in Guinea-Bissau in late November.

On Sunday morning, following gunfire near the presidential palace, military personnel appeared on national television to declare President Talon’s ousting. They cited a range of grievances, including the “deterioration of the security situation” and the “undermining of fundamental freedoms.”

However, just a few hours later, Benin’s Interior Minister, Alassane Seidou, also appeared on national television to confirm that the coup attempt had been foiled.

President Patrice Talon reiterated this in a brief address to the nation on Sunday evening, affirming that the situation was “totally under control” and that “security and public order will be maintained across the entire national territory.”

“This treacherous act will not go unpunished,” he added, having previously congratulated the Republican Guard soldiers upon his arrival at the presidential palace.

France, the former colonial power, condemned the coup attempt on Sunday evening, urging its citizens “to exercise the utmost caution and particularly to remain confined” due to “a still volatile context.”

After a day where most residents went about their daily activities in Cotonou, the economic capital emptied earlier than usual in the evening, as reported by an Agence France-Presse (AFP) journalist.

Several military checkpoints were established in the vicinity of the presidency and the nearby Guézo military camp.

“Tonight, we’ll try to get home earlier. We don’t know who is behind this coup,” explained Michelle Eudoxie, a 50-year-old hairdresser, to AFP.

“This morning I started hearing gunshots. I left the neighborhood to go elsewhere because I was scared,” shared Nabil Sacca, a petrol vendor who was near the presidential palace in the morning.

West African military deployment initiated

According to military sources speaking to AFP, approximately a dozen soldiers have been apprehended. This group includes some of the perpetrators of the attempted coup, a security source indicated, without specifying if the alleged leader of the mutineers, Lieutenant-Colonel Pascal Tigri, was among them.

In the late afternoon, the Nigerian air force conducted strikes in Cotonou “in connection with the protocols of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS),” stated General Ehimen Ejodamen, spokesperson for the Nigerian air force, without detailing the specific targets.

ECOWAS subsequently announced the “immediate deployment” of troops from Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Côte d’Ivoire, and Ghana to support Benin’s “government and republican army” and to “preserve constitutional order.”

The ECOWAS Standby Force is mandated to ensure peace and stability in the region. For instance, it deployed to The Gambia in 2017 when then-President Yahya Jammeh refused to relinquish power.

However, the force ultimately decided against intervention in 2023 following the coup in Niger.

The African Union (AU) “strongly and unequivocally” condemned this attempted coup.

Benin’s political history has been marked by several coups or attempts, though the last successful one dates back to 1972.

“Today, it’s as if I’m reliving what our parents experienced back then,” recounted Remy Agblo, a local merchant, “fortunately, it was thwarted.”

President Patrice Talon, who took office in 2016, is scheduled to complete his second term, the constitutional maximum, in 2026.

His designated successor, current Finance Minister Romuald Wadagni, is considered the overwhelming favorite for the April 2026 presidential election, particularly after the main opposition party was excluded from the race.

“There has been a palpable tension in the country for months due to the elections,” noted Anatole Zinsou, a computer scientist in Cotonou, who lamented the “exclusion” of certain political actors from the electoral processes.

While praised for Benin’s economic development, President Talon is frequently accused by critics of steering the country towards authoritarianism, a nation once celebrated for its vibrant democracy.