Military personnel in Benin on Sunday announced that they had ousted President Patrice Talon, although his entourage said that he was safe and that his army was regaining control. Soldiers, calling themselves the “Military Committee of Refoundation,” said on state television that they had met and decided that “Mr. Patrice Talon is removed from office as President of the Republic.”
The announcement follows two coups in Madagascar and Guinea-Bissau in as many months. Benin is bordered in the north by Niger and Burkina Faso, which has also seen military takeovers in the past.
The French embassy said on X that “gunfire was reported at Camp Guezo” near the president’s official residence in the economic capital.It urged French citizens to remain indoors for security. “This is a small group of people who only control the television. The regular army is regaining control. The city and the country are completely secure,” his office told AFP.
A history of coups in Africa
Benin’s political history has been marked by several coups and attempted coups. Right after gaining independence from France in the year 1960, Benin went through a long period of military and political turmoil and repeated coups. One of the first coups took place in the year 1963, which was led by Colonel Christophe Soglo, and he overthrew President Hubert Maga.
Later on, an intervention took place in the year 1965 when President Sourou-Migan Apithy and Vice President Justin Ahomadégbé-Tomêtin were removed, citing national instability. This period cemented the military’s influence in politics.
A coup was then led by Maurice Kouandété, who appointed Emile Derlin Zinsou as president. Later on, amid the tumultuous period, Zinsou was also overthrown in another Kouandété-led coup in the year 1969. In 1972, Major Mathieu Kérékou seized power in another coup. The rule extended for a long passage of time, as Kérékou established a Marxist-Leninist one-party state and ruled for nearly two decades.
Transition to democracy
1990 National Conference
Benin became a model for peaceful democratic transition in Africa when a national conference was held in 1990. In the 1991 democratic elections, Nicéphore Soglo won, marking the first peaceful transfer of power in the history of Africa.
Coup foiled in Africa
In a Facebook video that was later published, Interior Minister Alassane Seidou said that the coup had been foiled. “In the early morning of Sunday, December 7, 2025, a small group of soldiers launched a mutiny with the aim of destabilising the state and its institutions. Faced with this situation, the Beninese Armed Forces and their leadership, true to their oath, remained committed to the republic,” he said.
