Coup attempt foiled by loyalist troops, says Benin interior minister; a dozen rebels arrested
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "Coup attempt foiled by loyalist troops, says Benin interior minister; a dozen rebels arrested")
The rebel soldiers appeared on state TV early on Sunday morning to say they were suspending the constitution Photograph: (Screengrab from video on X)
Helicopters were seen flying over the city of Cotonou, which is the seat of government, and roads were blocked with heavy military presence on several streets. Earlier, eyewitnesses reported hearing gunshots and some journalists working for the state broadcaster being held hostage.
The government of Benin said on Sunday that loyalist troops foiled a coup attempt by members of the armed forces, which had announced a takeover a couple of hours before in the French-speaking West African nation. “The Beninese armed forces and their leadership, true to their oath, remained committed to the republic,” Interior Minister Alassane Seidou said in a televised address.
Earlier in the day, a group of soldiers made a broadcast saying they had ousted President Patrice Talon after eyewitnesses reported hearing gunshots and some journalists working for the state broadcaster being held hostage.
The president is safe at the French embassy, a presidential adviser said.
“Early on Sunday morning, 7 December 2025, a small group of soldiers launched a mutiny aimed at destabilising the state and its institutions, but loyalist soldiers were able to retain control of the situation and foil the attempt,” Seidou said in his address.
Helicopters were seen flying over the city of Cotonou, which is the seat of government, and roads were blocked with heavy military presence on several streets.
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Benin, a former French colony, regarded as one of Africa’s more stable democracies, is one of the continent’s largest cotton producers but ranks among the world’s poorest countries.
The French and Russian embassies urged their citizens to stay indoors. The US embassy advised its citizens to stay away from Cotonou, especially the area around the presidential compound.
The rebel soldiers, led by Lt-Col Pascal Tigri, justified their actions by criticising President Talon’s management of the country and handling of the “continuing deterioration of the security situation in northern Benin”.
Benin’s army has suffered losses in the north as jihadist militants linked to Islamic State and al-Qaeda in insurgency-hit Niger and Burkina Faso spread southwards.
The rebels also slammed health care cuts, tax rises, and curbs on political activities.
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Talon, 67, is regarded as a close ally of the West and is due to step down next year after completing his second term in office, with elections scheduled for April. He promised not to seek a third term and has endorsed Finance Minister Romuald Wadagni as his successor. Talon is praised by supporters for overseeing economic development, but his government has been targeted for suppressing dissent.
In October, the electoral commission barred the main opposition candidate from standing on the grounds that he did not have enough sponsors. Last month, MPs passed constitutional amendments, including the creation of a second parliamentary chamber, the Senate. Terms for elected officials were extended from five to seven years, but the presidential two-term limit remained in place.
The coup attempt in Benin comes over a week after Umaro Sissoco Embaló was overthrown as president in nearby Guinea-Bissau.
There have been several coups in West Africa, including in Burkina Faso, Guinea, Mali, and Niger.
