Attempted Coup in Benin Foiled by Loyalist Forces

On 7 December 2025, security forces in Benin successfully quashed a coup attempt after a small group of soldiers briefly seized control of the state broadcaster and declared the government dissolved. The rebel group, calling itself the Military Committee for Refoundation, appeared on national television claiming to have removed Patrice Talon from power and suspended the constitution.

Witnesses reported gunfire in parts of the coastal city Cotonou, including near the presidential residence and other key installations.

However, within hours, loyalist units of the armed forces, with reported help from regional partners, reasserted control. The country’s Beninese Armed Forces, backed by its leadership, suppressed the mutiny and arrested around a dozen soldiers said to have been involved.

President Talon later addressed the nation, thanking the military leaders for their loyalty, assuring citizens that order had been restored, and vowing that the plotters would not go unpunished.

Regional bodies reacted swiftly. The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) issued a call to preserve constitutional order and said it had deployed a standby force from Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Côte d’Ivoire, and Ghana to support Benin’s institutions. The African Union (AU) echoed this, condemning the attempted power grab and demanding immediate respect for the country’s constitutional order.