Benin Republic foils coup bid as loyalist forces retake state TV from renegade soldiers

Benin’s government says it has thwarted an attempted coup after a group of soldiers briefly seized the national television station on Sunday and proclaimed the ouster of President Patrice Talon.

Foreign Minister Olushegun Adjadi Bakari confirmed that the mutineers managed to overrun state TV for a short period before loyalist troops and national guards reasserted control.

“There is an attempt, but the situation is under control,” Bakari told Reuters. “It’s a small group of military. A large part of the army is still loyalist, and we are taking over the situation.”

The soldiers, led by Lieutenant-Colonel Pascal Tigri, appeared on the broadcast declaring they had dissolved all state institutions, closed the country’s borders and suspended political parties. They claimed to represent a new junta called the “Military Committee for Refoundation” (CMR).

But the presidency rejected the claims as false, saying Talon – who has ruled since 2016 and is due to step down next April after 10 years in office – remained secure. It insisted loyalist forces were “regaining control” and that the country was stable.

“This is a small group of people who only control the television,” the presidency told AFP. “The regular army is regaining control. The city and the country are completely secure.”

The French embassy said gunfire had been heard around Camp Guezo, near the president’s official residence, at the height of the unrest.

Analysts say simmering political tension may have created an atmosphere conducive to unrest. Adama Gaye, a former ECOWAS communications director, told Al Jazeera he was not surprised by the attempt, citing the imprisonment of several opposition leaders and Talon’s alleged moves to neutralise rivals, including former President Boni Yayi.

He added that Talon had reportedly positioned his finance minister as his preferred successor for next year’s election.

The incident adds to a growing pattern of military takeovers in West and Central Africa. Guinea-Bissau saw another coup last month, installing General Horta Inta-A at the helm of a one-year transition – its ninth coup attempt since 1974.

Recent years have also witnessed putsches in Gabon, Niger, Burkina Faso and Mali, deepening concerns over democratic backsliding across the region.