A swift but unsettling coup attempt recently challenged the authority of Patrice Talon in Bénin. In the early hours of Sunday, December 7, a faction of mutinous soldiers briefly seized control of the public broadcaster, SRTB, in Cotonou, declaring on air that they had removed the president from power. President Talon, 67, who is scheduled to conclude his decade-long tenure in April 2026, was promptly moved to safety. Concurrently, loyal military units systematically reclaimed strategic locations. According to multiple security reports, the insurgents initially tried to storm his private residence in the Guézo district before being repelled. By late morning, Cotonou, the economic capital, was under stringent surveillance, with helicopters overhead and patrols traversing the streets, as calm progressively returned throughout the day. This unexpected putsch marked the first such incident in Bénin since Mathieu Kérékou successfully seized power in 1972.

In a concise address broadcast on national television during the 8 PM news on Sunday evening, Patrice Talon acknowledged, “Our nation today experienced events of extreme gravity. This betrayal will not go unpunished.” The president also indicated that some “individuals” were still being held by fleeing mutineers, emphasizing the urgent need to completely stabilize the situation and safeguard citizens.

Tragically, the events also led to casualties, including the death of the wife of General Bertin Bada, the president’s military cabinet director, who was killed during an assault on their home in Abomey-Calavi. The daughter of this trusted official, who was promoted to Air Corps General last June, also sustained injuries from the attackers’ gunfire.

The sequence of events unfolded, as summarized by the Interior Minister at midday: “In the early morning of this Sunday, December 7, 2025, a small group of soldiers initiated a mutiny with the objective of destabilizing the State and its institutions. Confronted with this situation, the Béninese Armed Forces and their command, steadfast in their oath, remained loyal to the republic. Their decisive response enabled them to maintain control and foil the maneuver. Consequently, the Government urges the populace to resume their normal activities,” declared Alassane Seidou.

Foreign Minister Olushegun Adjadi Bakari clarified that the vast majority of soldiers remained loyal to the president, and only “a small group” had attempted to seize power.

Since then, several consistent security reports have confirmed the apprehension of at least a dozen military personnel, including the alleged orchestrators of the coup attempt, as well as an individual previously discharged from the Béninese army.

Mutineers target presidential sites

The initial explosions reverberated at dawn. According to various security sources, a group of soldiers, reportedly supported by “external elements”—believed to be mercenaries—first attempted to infiltrate the residences of high-ranking officers before advancing towards the president’s home and the presidential palace. Subsequently, they took control of the state television station. On set, staff were held at gunpoint as the mutineers recorded a message. In this declaration, the insurgents asserted they were acting on behalf of Lieutenant-Colonel Pascal Tigri, announced the formation of a “Military Committee for Refoundation” under his leadership, and proclaimed Patrice Talon “removed from office,” just months before the official conclusion of his mandate.

Lieutenant-Colonel Tigri further stated that the Constitution and all national institutions were suspended, and that “the national army would exercise, until further notice, the full powers vested in the State of Bénin.” He justified this action by claiming a desire to end, in his words, “Patrice Talon’s governance and the deprivation of certain citizens’ rights to choose their candidate,” also criticizing “the enactment of crisis-generating laws,” “the forced exile of certain citizens,” and “widespread arrests.”

Promptly, the United States and French embassies reacted. The American embassy issued an alert to its nationals, reporting “exchanges of gunfire” in the Guézo district, where the president’s private residence is located. The French embassy, likewise, urged its citizens to exercise extreme caution.

However, the attempted takeover was swiftly challenged on the ground. Shortly after the mutineers’ declaration, intense exchanges of fire erupted around the port and the presidential palace. Elements of the Republican Guard, who remained loyal to the head of state, launched a counter-offensive to retake strategic positions. Access to the marina, site of the presidential palace, was immediately secured, while helicopters patrolled the area and several major thoroughfares in Cotonou were closed. The Béninese government requested assistance from the Nigerian army, which dispatched fighter jets and ground troops to help secure the public television station and a military camp occupied by the mutineers.

Confusion and heightened alert in the capital

For several hours, uncertainty prevailed. Rumors spread faster than verified facts, amplified by platforms like TikTok, Facebook, and WhatsApp groups, which served as the primary information channels while authorities were slow to issue official statements. Amidst this informational fog, everyone sought to comprehend the true unfolding events in the capital.

By early afternoon, the sounds of gunfire had subsided, and police units occupied major intersections downtown. Reached by Le Point Afrique, several witnesses described an atmosphere tinged with both apprehension and restraint. “We still don’t know exactly what happened,” whispered a resident from the Cimetière PK-14 district. Other Béninese citizens pondered the future, fearing potential repercussions.

For a nation long considered an oasis of stability in West Africa, this coup attempt was a profound shock. Coming just ten days after a coup in Guinea-Bissau and less than two months after one in Madagascar, Bénin now joins the growing list of democratic regimes in the region facing military threats, including Niger, Burkina Faso, Mali, Guinea, and, for the ninth time since 2020, Guinea-Bissau.

Regional condemnations and troop deployment

The attempted putsch immediately drew strong condemnation from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the African Union (AU). The AU denounced the act as “firmly and unequivocally” against the constitutional order and urged involved military personnel to return to their barracks. In a communiqué released on X, the Chairman of the Pan-African Commission, Mahamoud Ali Youssouf, implored “all actors engaged in this attempt” to cease “immediately” any illegal actions and to “return without delay to their professional obligations.”

For its part, ECOWAS announced on Sunday evening the deployment of troops to Bénin, following the rapid thwarting of the coup attempt by authorities. The regional organization specified that it had “ordered the immediate deployment of elements from the Standby Force,” with contingents arriving from Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Côte d’Ivoire, and Ghana, to support “the government and the republican army of Bénin” and “preserve constitutional order.”

Presidential race and security: Bénin on the edge

With the April presidential election marking the end of his term just months away, Patrice Talon navigates a volatile environment. The northern part of the country continues to be plagued by jihadist attacks linked to Al-Qaeda; last April, 54 soldiers were killed there.

Politically, the incumbent president, a former businessman and cotton magnate who has been in power since 2016, will step down at the conclusion of his second and final term, as mandated by the Constitution. However, he has meticulously planned his succession; the ruling coalition (Bloc Républicain (BR) and UP-R), which has strengthened over the years, has already designated his successor: Finance Minister Romuald Wadagni, a key architect of the economic policies implemented over the past decade.

The constitutional revision adopted last month, which establishes a Senate and extends presidential and legislative terms from five to seven years, continues to fuel intense debate and criticism. The disqualification of the main opposition party’s candidate, Les Démocrates, further solidifies the advantage of the incumbent’s camp, even though the two-term limit remains in effect. Just months before the presidential election, this reform is a focal point of growing tensions.

Sources close to the matter indicate that the mutineers harbored political grievances against the current administration, citing what they perceived as exclusionary governance. The question of who might have orchestrated this coup attempt, potentially revealing deeper rifts within the Béninese army and political landscape, also remains unanswered.