By Obinna Uballa
Benin Republic’s government says loyalist forces have restored order after a small group of soldiers briefly seized state television on Sunday and announced they had overthrown President Patrice Talon.
Foreign Minister Olushegun Adjadi Bakari told Reuters that the mutinous soldiers managed to take control of the broadcaster only and that the transmission was cut off within minutes.
“There is an attempt, but the situation is under control. Now it’s a small group of military. A large part of the army is still loyalist, and we are taking over the situation,” Bakari said.
Led by Lieutenant-Colonel Pascal Tigri, the renegade troops appeared on screen claiming they had toppled Talon, dissolved state institutions, closed the country’s borders and suspended political parties. They identified themselves as members of a so-called “Military Committee for Refoundation” (CMR).
But the presidency swiftly dismissed their claims, insisting Talon—who has governed since 2016 and is due to leave office next April after a decade in power—remains safe and that loyalist units were “gradually regaining control,” according to AFP.
“This is a small group of people who only control the television,” the presidency said. “The regular army is regaining control. The city and the country are completely secure.”
The French embassy reported gunfire near Camp Guezo, close to the president’s official residence, around the time of the TV station takeover.
Analysts say the attempted putsch reflects rising political strain in Benin. Adama Gaye, former ECOWAS communications director, told Al Jazeera the development “does not come as a surprise,” citing the jailing of several opposition figures and Talon’s alleged sidelining of key rivals, including former President Boni Yayi. Gaye also noted claims that Talon had positioned his finance minister as successor ahead of next year’s election.
The failed uprising adds to a long list of coups and attempted coups that have swept West and Central Africa in recent years. Only last month, Guinea-Bissau’s military seized power, installing General Horta Inta-A as head of a one-year transitional government, its ninth attempted coup since independence in 1974.
The region has witnessed rapid political upheavals since 2020, including coups in Gabon, Niger, Burkina Faso and Mali, where military leaders now dominate the political landscape.
