Benin Republic militaryMilitary personnel in Benin on Sunday said they had ousted President Patrice Talon, but the Presidency said he was safe and the army was regaining control.
Talon, 67, a former businessman known as the “cotton king of Cotonou,” is due to hand over power in April next year after 10 years in office marked by strong economic growth and rising jihadist violence.
West Africa has seen several coups in recent years, including in Niger, Burkina Faso, Mali, Guinea, and most recently Guinea-Bissau.
Early on Sunday, soldiers calling themselves the “Military Committee for Refoundation” (CMR) said on state television that they had met and decided that “Mr Patrice Talon is removed from office as president of the republic.”
The signal was cut later in the morning.
Shortly after the announcement, a source close to Talon told AFP the president was safe.
“This is a small group of people who only control the television. The regular army is regaining control. The city (Cotonou) and the country are completely secure,” they said.
“It’s just a matter of time before everything returns to normal. The clean-up is progressing well.”
A military source confirmed the situation was “under control” and said the coup plotters had not taken Talon’s residence or the presidential offices.
The French Embassy reported on X that “gunfire was reported at Camp Guezo” near the president’s official residence in the economic capital and urged French citizens to remain indoors.
Benin has a history of coups and attempted coups.
Talon, who came to power in 2016, is due to end his second term in 2026, the constitutional maximum.
The main opposition party has been excluded from the race to succeed him, leaving the ruling party to compete against a so-called “moderate” opposition.
Talon has been praised for driving economic development but is often accused of authoritarianism.
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