Authorities in Benin declared on Sunday that they had successfully thwarted an attempted coup aimed at overthrowing President Patrice Talon. The President confirmed the situation was “totally under control,” and the West African bloc ECOWAS announced it would dispatch military support to the nation.

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

The West African sub-region has been particularly affected by political instability since the start of the decade, witnessing coups in Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger — two of Benin’s neighbors — as well as in Guinea and, most recently in late November, in Guinea-Bissau.

On Sunday morning, following reports of gunfire near the presidential palace, military personnel appeared on national television to declare President Talon’s removal. They cited various reasons, including the “deterioration of the security situation” and challenges to “fundamental freedoms.”

Just a few hours later, Benin’s Minister of Interior, Alassane Seidou, 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, assuring citizens that the situation was “totally under control” and that “security and public order will be maintained across the national territory.”

“This act of treachery will not go unpunished,” he added, after commending the Republican Guard soldiers upon his arrival at the presidential palace.

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

After a day where most residents in Cotonou, the economic capital, carried on with their daily activities, the city’s streets emptied earlier than usual in the evening, according to a journalist present.

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 attempt,” explained Michelle Eudoxie, a 50-year-old hairdresser.

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

West African troop deployment

According to military sources, approximately a dozen soldiers have been apprehended. Among those arrested are some of the individuals responsible for the attempted putsch, a security source confirmed, though it was not specified if the alleged leader of the mutineers, Lieutenant-Colonel Pascal Tigri, was among them.

In the late afternoon, Nigerian air force planes conducted strikes in Cotonou, described as being “in connection with the protocols of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS),” according to Nigerian Air Force spokesperson General Ehimen Ejodamen, who did not specify the targets.

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

The ECOWAS Standby Force is mandated to ensure peace and stability in the region. For instance, it intervened in Gambia in 2017 when the outgoing president, Yahya Jammeh, refused to relinquish power.

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

The African Union (AU) also issued a strong condemnation, calling the coup attempt “firmly and unequivocally” unacceptable.

Benin’s political history has seen several coups or attempts, but the most recent successful one dates back to 1972.

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

President Patrice Talon, who assumed power in 2016, will 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 as the main opposition party has been excluded from the race.

“There has been a palpable tension in the country for months due to the elections,” noted Anatole Zinsou, an IT professional in Cotonou, who expressed concern over the “exclusion” of certain political actors from the electoral processes.

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