Attempt to Overthrow Benin President Foiled

(MENAFN) Benin's President Patrice Talon has announced that government-aligned military units successfully suppressed an insurrection launched by rogue soldiers attempting to seize power. West Africa's regional organization ECOWAS, which counts the nation among its members, has denounced the aborted takeover as an "unconstitutional" action and a subversion of the will of the people.

A faction of military personnel temporarily commandeered state broadcasting facilities Sunday, proclaiming Talon's removal and constitutional suspension. The group declared institutional dissolution, mandated closure of the nation's airspace and terrestrial frontiers, and designated Lieutenant Colonel Pascal Tigri to head a newly formed Military Committee for Refoundation.

The insurgent soldiers referenced a worsening security climate in northern Benin, "coupled with the disregard and neglect" of their "fallen brothers-in-arms." Weapons fire erupted near the presidential compound and across multiple districts of Cotonou, the former French colony's largest metropolitan area and economic center, prompting diplomatic missions to advise foreign citizens to remain sheltered indoors.

President Talon subsequently emerged on national broadcasting to confirm that faithful forces have "cleared the last pockets of resistance held by the mutineers." He attributed the defeated uprising to "a small group of soldiers" who, he asserted, attempted to destabilize governmental structures and institutions under the guise of "false claims."

Talon expressed concern for the "victims of this senseless adventure" and those "still held by the fleeing mutineers," pledging that "the wrongdoing will not go unpunished."

Authorities confirmed 14 individuals have been detained regarding the overthrow attempt.

The insurrection surfaces months ahead of presidential elections scheduled for April 12, 2026, anticipated to conclude Talon's second tenure. He has governed the country since 2016.

Sunday's thwarted coup represents the first such endeavor in Benin since a successful overthrow in 1972. It contributes to an escalation of military seizure activity engulfing West Africa since 2020, encompassing successful depositions in Mali, Guinea, Burkina Faso, Niger and Gabon, plus last month's removal of Guinea-Bissau's leader.

ECOWAS reports it has authorized deployment of a standby force comprising personnel from Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Cote d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast) and Ghana to bolster the Beninese military in its efforts "to preserve constitutional order and territorial integrity."

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