Benin’s president condemns foiled coup bid, says mutineers ‘fleeing’

COTONOU, Benin — Benin President Patrice Talon on Sunday condemned an attempted coup that was foiled by the country’s army in his first public comments since sporadic gunfire was heard in parts of the administrative capital, Cotonou.

A group of soldiers appeared on Benin’s state TV earlier Sunday to announce the dissolution of the government in an apparent coup, which would have been the latest of many in West Africa. The group called itself the Military Committee for Refoundation.

Later, Interior Minister Alassane Seidou announced in a video on Facebook that the attempted coup had been “foiled,” but Talon had not commented.

“I would also like to take this opportunity to express my condolences to the victims of this senseless adventure, as well as to those still being held by the fleeing mutineers,” the president said in a televised address to the nation that ended his silence. “I assure them that we will do everything in our power to find them safe and sound.”

The president did not provide figures on casualties or hostages.

“In the early morning of Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025, a small group of soldiers launched a mutiny with the aim of destabilizing the state and its institutions,” Seidou said. “Faced with this situation, the Beninese armed forces and their leadership, true to their oath, remained committed to the republic.”

The regional bloc known as the Economic Community of West African States, or ECOWAS, said it has ordered the deployment of a regional troop comprising personnel from Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Ivory Coast and Ghana to support Benin’s army to “preserve constitutional order and the territorial integrity of the Republic of Benin.”

Local media reported the arrest of 13 soldiers who took part in the coup, citing sources close to the presidency. It remains unclear whether Lt. Col. Pascal Tigri, reportedly the coup leader, has been apprehended. Gunfire was heard and soldiers were seen patrolling around some locations in Cotonou, but the city has been relatively calm since the coup attempt was announced.

Earlier Sunday, a group of soldiers appeared on Benin’s state TV to announce the dissolution of the government in an apparent coup.

The Military Committee for Refoundation had earlier announced that Tigri was appointed its president.

Following its independence from France in 1960, the West African nation witnessed multiple coups. Since 1991, Benin has been politically stable after the two-decade rule of Marxist-Leninist Mathieu Kerekou.

The signal to state television and public radio, which had been cut off, has now been restored.

ECOWAS had earlier called the attempted coup “a subversion of the will of the people of Benin.”

Talon has been in power since 2016 and is due to step down in April after the presidential election.

Talon’s party pick, former Finance Minister Romuald Wadagni, is the favorite to win the election. Opposition candidate Renaud Agbodjo was rejected by the electoral commission on the grounds that he did not have sufficient sponsors.

In January, two associates of Talon were sentenced to 20 years in prison for an alleged 2024 coup plot.

Last month, the country’s legislature extended the presidential term of office from five to seven years, keeping the term limit at two.

The coup attempt is the latest in a string of military takeovers that have rocked West Africa. Last month, a military coup in Guinea-Bissau removed former President Umaro Embalo after a contested election in which both he and the opposition candidate declared themselves winners.

Ahissou and Adetayo write for the Associated Press and reported from Cotonou and Lagos, Nigeria, respectively.