By Joke Kujenya
GOVERNMENT FORCES in Benin regained control of the military and key institutions after soldiers attempted to seize power, officials said on Sunday.
Information from sources close to President Patrice Talon as they told the AFP revealed that the president was safe and described the coup plotters as “a small group of people who only control the television.”
“The regular army is regaining control. The city, Cotonou, and the country are completely secure,” the government source said.
“It’s just a matter of time before everything returns to normal. The clean-up is progressing well.”
Interior Minister Alassane Seidou called the soldiers’ announcement “a mutiny” aimed at “destabilising the country and its institutions”.
He added that “faced with this situation, the Beninese Armed Forces and their leadership has maintained control of the situation and foiled the attempt”.
Early on Sunday, soldiers identifying themselves as the “Military Committee for Refoundation” (CMR) announced on state television that they had removed Talon from office.
On television, eight soldiers with assault rifles, wearing berets of various colours, proclaimed a lieutenant colonel “president of the CMR”.
The group cited the “continuous deterioration of the security situation in northern Benin”, the “neglect of soldiers killed in action and their families left to fend for themselves,” and “unjust promotions at the expense of the most deserving” as justification.
Another military source reportedly confirmed that the situation was “under control” and that the coup plotters had not taken Talon’s residence or the presidential offices.
AFP correspondents in Cotonou reported that soldiers blocked access to the presidency and state television.
Access to several other areas, including the five-star Sofitel in Cotonou and districts housing international institutions, was also blocked, while the airport and other parts of the city remained unaffected.
Gunfire was reported at Camp Guezo near the president’s official residence, according to the French Embassy, which urged French citizens to remain indoors for safety.
In recent years, West Africa has experienced several coups, including in Benin’s northern neighbours Niger and Burkina Faso, as well as Mali, Guinea, and Guinea-Bissau. Benin’s political history has included multiple coups and attempted coups since independence from France in 1960.
Talon, 67, a former businessman known as the “cotton king of Cotonou”, took office in 2016. He is due to complete his second term in 2026, the maximum allowed by the constitution.
The main opposition party has been excluded from the race to succeed him, leaving the ruling party to contest power against a so-called “moderate” opposition.
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) condemned the soldiers’ actions as “unconstitutional” and a “subversion of the will of the Beninese people”.
AFP journalists reported that, despite the attempted mutiny, residents in other parts of Cotonou continued with daily activities.
Talon’s decade in office has been marked by steady economic growth and a rise in jihadist violence. While his government has been credited with promoting development, critics have accused him of authoritarian tendencies.
By midday Sunday, state television was no longer broadcasting, though officials reiterated that the army had regained control and the situation was stabilising.
