Benin Republic President Patrice Talon
Benin Republic’s President Patrice Talon has praised the country’s military leadership for swiftly crushing an attempted coup on Sunday, promising that those behind the plot will face justice.
Hours after a group of renegade soldiers — calling themselves the Military Committee for Refoundation — stormed state television, announced the government’s dissolution, and cut off broadcast signals, the Interior Minister declared the takeover attempt “foiled.”
By Sunday evening, President Talon addressed the nation, openly commending the armed forces for standing firm in defense of the country’s democracy.
“I would like to commend the sense of duty of our army and its leaders who remained republican and loyal to the nation,” he said.
“With them, we stood firm, recaptured our positions, and cleared the last pockets of resistance from the mutants. This commitment and mobilisation allowed us to thwart these adventurers and save our country. This treachery will not go unpunished.”
Talon also expressed condolences to families affected by what he described as “this senseless adventure,” acknowledging that some individuals were still being held by fleeing mutineers. He assured citizens that every effort would be made to secure their safe return.
Local reports say 13 soldiers have been arrested so far, though it remains unclear whether the alleged ringleader, Lt.-Col. Pascal Tigri, is among them. Gunfire and military patrols were reported in parts of Cotonou, but calm has largely returned to the capital. Broadcast signals for state television and public radio were later restored.
The attempted coup adds to a troubling wave of recent military takeovers and failed plots across West Africa. Just last month, Guinea-Bissau’s former President Umaro Embalo was removed following a disputed election.
Regional bloc ECOWAS reacted swiftly, ordering the deployment of troops from Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Ivory Coast and Ghana to support Benin’s forces. The organisation condemned the action as “a subversion of the will of the people of Benin.”
Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu, who also chairs ECOWAS, lauded the Nigerian military’s intervention. According to government spokesman Bayo Onanuga, Benin made two formal requests for air and ground support.
“It took some hours before the government’s loyal forces, assisted by Nigeria, took control and flushed out the coup plotters from the National TV,” he said.
Benin, once plagued by frequent coups after independence in 1960, has enjoyed relative political stability since 1991. President Talon, in office since 2016, is expected to step down next April after a presidential election in which his party’s candidate, former Finance Minister Romuald Wadagni, is the frontrunner.
Last month, lawmakers extended the presidential term from five to seven years, though the two-term limit remains. Meanwhile, the electoral commission has disqualified opposition aspirant Renaud Agbodjo for lacking sufficient sponsorship.
Sunday’s failed coup comes at a politically sensitive moment for Benin — and underscores the region’s growing fragility amid a resurgence of military rule.
(AP/NAN)
