Beninese authorities announced on Sunday that they had successfully thwarted a coup attempt aimed at overthrowing President Patrice Talon. President Talon assured the nation that the situation was “totally under control,” and the West African bloc ECOWAS is set to dispatch military support.

This attempted takeover comes just months before Patrice Talon concludes his two terms as president of the small West African nation, a country known for its robust economic growth but increasingly plagued by jihadist violence in its northern regions.

West Africa has experienced significant political instability since the start of the decade, marked by coups in Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger — two of Benin’s neighbours — as well as in Guinea and, most recently in late November, in Guinea-Bissau.

On Sunday morning, following reports of gunfire near the presidency, soldiers appeared on national television to declare President Talon’s ouster. They cited a range of grievances, including the “deterioration of the security situation” and challenges to “fundamental freedoms.”

Hours later, Benin’s Interior Minister, Alassane Seidou, also appeared on national television to confirm that the coup had been foiled.

President Patrice Talon reiterated this in a brief address to the nation on Sunday evening, affirming that the situation was “totally under control” and that “security and public order will be maintained across the national territory.”

“This treachery will not go unpunished,” he added, after commending the Republican Guard soldiers upon his arrival at the presidential palace.

France, the former colonial power, condemned the attempted coup on Sunday evening and advised its citizens “to exercise the utmost caution and particularly to remain confined,” citing an “still volatile context.”

After a day where most residents conducted their daily activities in Cotonou, the economic capital emptied earlier than usual in the evening, according to an Agence France-Presse (AFP) journalist.

Several military checkpoints were established in the vicinity of the presidency and the nearby Guézo military camp.

“Tonight, we’re going to try to go home earlier. We don’t know who is behind this coup attempt,” explained Michelle Eudoxie, a 50-year-old hairdresser, to AFP.

“This morning I started hearing the sounds of bullets. I left the neighbourhood to go elsewhere because I was scared,” recounted Nabil Sacca, a petrol vendor who was near the presidential palace in the morning.

West African troop deployment

According to military sources speaking to AFP, about a dozen soldiers have been apprehended. Among them are some of the perpetrators of the attempted coup, a security source indicated, without specifying if the alleged leader of the mutineers, Lieutenant-Colonel Pascal Tigri, was among those arrested.

Late Sunday afternoon, Nigerian aviation conducted strikes in Cotonou “in connection with the protocols of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS),” according to Nigerian Air Force spokesperson General Ehimen Ejodamen, who did not specify the targets.

ECOWAS subsequently announced the “immediate deployment” of troops from Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Côte d’Ivoire, and Ghana to support “the government and the republican army” of Benin and to “preserve constitutional order.”

The ECOWAS Standby Force is mandated to ensure peace and stability in the region. For instance, it deployed in Gambia in 2017 when outgoing President Yahya Jammeh refused to relinquish power.

However, it ultimately opted against intervening in 2023 following the coup in Niger.

The African Union (AU) “firmly and unequivocally” condemned this attempted coup.

Benin’s political history has been marked by several coups or attempts, but the last one dates back to 1972.

“Today, it’s as if I’m reliving what our parents experienced back then,” said Remy Agblo, a merchant, “fortunately it was thwarted.”

Patrice Talon, who has been in power since 2016, will complete his second term, the maximum allowed by the Constitution, in 2026.

His designated successor, current Finance Minister Romuald Wadagni, is considered the overwhelming favourite for the April 2026 presidential election, with the main opposition party excluded from the race.

“There has been a palpable tension in the country for months due to the elections,” noted Anatole Zinsou, a computer scientist in Cotonou, who lamented the “exclusion” of certain actors from the electoral processes.

While praised for Benin’s economic development, Patrice Talon is frequently accused by critics of having steered the country, once lauded for its vibrant democracy, towards authoritarianism.