FILE – Benin President Patrice Talon attends a meeting with Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva at the Planalto presidential palace in Brasilia, Brazil, May 23, 2024.
Eraldo Perez/AP
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Eraldo Perez/AP
COTONOU, Benin — The coup announced in Benin on Sunday has been “foiled,” the interior minister said in a Facebook video.
“In the early hours of Sunday, December 7, 2025, a small group of soldiers rebelled with the aim of destabilizing the state and its institutions,” Alasan Seydou said.
“Faced with this situation, the Benin Armed Forces and their leadership, true to their oath, remained loyal to the Republic.”
Earlier, a group of soldiers appeared on the street. Benin State television on Sunday will announce the dissolution of the government in an apparent coup, the latest of many in West Africa.
A group calling itself the Military Revival Committee announced the removal of the president and all government institutions. Lieutenant Colonel Pascal Tigri has been appointed president of the military committee, soldiers said.
Since gaining independence from France in 1960, the West African country has seen numerous coups, especially in the decades following independence. Since 1991, the country has become politically stable after two decades of rule by Marxist-Leninist Mathieu Kérékou.
There was no official news about President Patrice Talon as shots were fired around the presidential residence. Following the military announcement, the signal from state television and public radio was cut off.
Talon had been in power since 2016 and was due to step down next April after the presidential election.
The favorite to win the election was former Finance Minister Romuald Vadanyi, elected from the Claw party. Opposition candidate Reno Agbojo was rejected by the electoral commission on the grounds that he did not have enough sponsors.
In January, two Talon associates were sentenced to prison. 20 years in prison for the alleged 2024 coup plot.
Last month, the country's legislature extended the presidential term from five to seven years, keeping the maximum period at two years.
The coup is the latest in a string of military coups to rock West Africa. Last month military coup in Guinea-Bissau ousted former President Umaro Embalo after a disputed election in which both he and the opposition candidate declared themselves winners.
