The Benin Republic presidency says President Patrice Talon is safe and that the “regular” army is restoring order after a group of soldiers announced a coup early Sunday.
Gunfire reportedly rang out near the president’s residence as armoured vehicles from the presidential guard patrolled the area.
The mutinous soldiers, calling themselves the Military Committee for Refoundation, claimed they had removed the president and all political officeholders, dissolved state institutions, and taken control of the country.
Talon, who has led Benin since 2016, earlier pledged to leave office in April 2026 after the presidential election.
This is not the first attempted takeover under his administration. In September 2024, Djimon Tevoedjre, commander of the Republican Guard and Talon’s security chief, was arrested following an alleged coup plot.
Reacting to Sunday’s events, the presidency dismissed the coup announcement, describing the soldiers involved as “a small group of people who only control the television”.
It added that the “regular army is regaining control” and insisted that both the city and the country “are completely secure”.
West Africa has seen a sharp rise in coups and attempted coups since 2020. Just last month, military officers in Guinea-Bissau seized power after a disputed election in which both President Umaro Embaló and opposition leader Fernando Dias claimed victory before official results were declared.
Other West African nations currently under military rule include Burkina Faso (2022), Guinea (2021), Mali (2020) and Niger (2023).