Benin President Says Coup Attempt Foiled

Benin’s President Patrice Talon has said that the government and armed forces have successfully foiled an attempted coup and vowed to punish those responsible.

The announcement came on state television on Sunday evening, roughly 12 hours after gunfire erupted in Cotonou, the country’s largest city, and soldiers appeared on television claiming they had removed Talon from power.

The coup attempt came as Benin prepares for a presidential election in April, which would mark the end of Talon’s tenure in office since 2016.

In their televised statement, the coup plotters cited the worsening security situation in northern Benin and claimed there had been a “disregard and neglect” of fallen soldiers. The group identified itself as the “Military Committee for Refoundation” (CMR).

Analysts say the attempt was not entirely unexpected. Adama Gaye, a former communications director at the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), told Al Jazeera that political tensions in Benin have been mounting for some time, with many opposition members imprisoned.

Gaye added that Talon had effectively sidelined key opposition figures, including former President Boni Yayi, and was preparing his finance minister to take over after the next election.

Since 2020, several West African countries have experienced coups, with military officers seizing power and reshaping the political landscape. Benin now joins this growing list of nations.

In Mali, Colonel Assimi Goita first entered a power-sharing arrangement with civilian president Bah Ndaw in 2020. Just a year later, in 2021, Goita overthrew Ndaw and installed himself as president.

In Chad, following the death of President Idriss Deby in 2021, his son, army general Mahamat Idriss Deby, quickly took control of the country.

Guinea saw soldiers led by Mamady Doumbouya remove President Alpha Conde after 11 years in office, while Sudan’s military staged a coup in October 2021.

Burkina Faso experienced two coups in 2022: Lieutenant Colonel Paul-Henri Damiba ousted President Roch Kabore in January, only to be overthrown in September by Captain Ibrahim Traore.

In 2023, Niger’s General Abdourahamane Tchiani seized power from President Mohamed Bazoum in July, and soldiers in Gabon declared a takeover shortly after President Ali Bongo was re-elected.

More recently, Madagascar’s military took control following public protests against former President Andry Rajoelina in 2025, and in Guinea-Bissau, soldiers seized power after a disputed presidential election in November 2025.