Benin Coup Attempt Stopped by Loyalist Troops, Minister Says

Benin’s interior minister announced on national TV that the attempted coup on Sunday, 7 December 2025, has been thwarted.

Alassane Seidou said a small group of soldiers launched a mutiny aimed at destabilising the state, but the armed forces remained loyal to the republic and restored control.

Earlier, Lieutenant Colonel Pascal Tigri led a broadcast claiming they had ousted President Patrice Talon and suspended the constitution.

Social‑media posts from the French embassy reported gunfire near the presidential residence in Cotonou, while BBC‑linked eyewitnesses heard shots and said state‑media journalists were briefly held hostage.

A presidential adviser later told the BBC that President Talon is safe and has taken refuge at the French embassy.

Helicopters circled over Cotonou and several streets remain blocked as troops maintain a heavy presence, the interior minister added.

Benin, a former French colony, has long been viewed as one of West Africa’s more stable democracies, yet it remains one of the world’s poorest nations despite being a leading cotton producer.

The coup attempt follows a spate of military takeovers in Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger and Guinea, raising concerns across the ECOWAS region, including Ghana, where governments monitor the security ripple effects on trade and cross‑border movement.

Both the African Union and ECOWAS condemned the mutiny, reiterating a zero‑tolerance stance toward unconstitutional changes of government.

Authorities continue to advise foreign nationals to stay indoors, and officials urge citizens to resume normal activities while security forces investigate the plot.

Image Source: MYJOYONLINE