COTONOU, BENIN – A coup attempt in Benin on Sunday was reportedly “foiled,” the country’s interior minister said in a video posted on Facebook.
“In the early hours of Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025, a small group of soldiers launched a mutiny aimed at destabilizing the state and its institutions,” Interior Minister Alassane Seidou stated. “The Beninese Armed Forces and their leadership, true to their oath, remained committed to the republic.”
Earlier in the day, a group of soldiers appeared on Benin’s state television to announce the government’s dissolution, claiming to carry out a coup. Calling themselves the Military Committee for Refoundation, the soldiers declared the removal of the president and all state institutions, naming Lt. Col. Pascal Tigri as president of the committee. Following the broadcast, signals to state television and public radio were cut, and gunfire was reportedly heard around the presidential residence. There has been no official update on President Patrice Talon.
Since gaining independence from France in 1960, Benin has experienced multiple coups, particularly in the decades following independence. Political stability returned in 1991 after the two-decade rule of Marxist-Leninist leader Mathieu Kérékou. Talon has been in power since 2016 and was scheduled to step down next April following the presidential election. His party’s candidate, former Finance Minister Romuald Wadagni, was favored to win, while opposition candidate Renaud Agbodjo was disqualified by the electoral commission for lacking sufficient sponsorship.
The coup attempt comes amid heightened political tensions in Benin. Earlier this year, two associates of Talon were sentenced to 20 years in prison over an alleged 2024 coup plot, and last month, the legislature extended the presidential term from five to seven years while maintaining a two-term limit. This incident is the latest in a series of military takeovers affecting West Africa, including a recent coup in Guinea-Bissau that removed President Umaro Embalo following a disputed election.