Coup attempt quickly foiled by loyalist troops in Benin (video)
Published on December 8, 2025 at 1:05 PM by Edgar Naitha
A coup attempt was thwarted in Benin after a group of about ten soldiers stormed the national television station.
The group, calling itself the Military Committee for Refoundation (CMR), appeared on state TV and announced the removal of President Patrice Talon, the dissolution of government institutions, and the suspension of the constitution.
Lt.-Col. Pascal Tigri was declared head of the new military authority.
The French Embassy reported gunfire at Camp Guezo, near the presidential residence, and urged French citizens to remain at home until the situation becomes clear.
Shortly after, Benin’s Interior Minister appeared on national TV to announce that the attempted coup had been foiled.
“Early on Sunday morning, 7 December 2025, a small group of soldiers launched a mutiny aimed at destabilising the state and its institutions,” Interior Minister Alassane Seidou said.
He added that the Beninese armed forces remained loyal to the republic, and their response allowed them to regain control and stop the uprising.
“The government therefore urges the population to go about their activities as normal,” he said.
President Talon, 67, a close ally of the West, is expected to step down next year after completing his second and final term, with elections planned for April.
A prominent businessman known as the “king of cotton”, Talon first came to power in 2016 and has endorsed Finance Minister Romuald Wadagni as his preferred successor.
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