BREAKING: Benin Republic Presidency Says Patrice Talon Safe, Army Regaining Control
The Benin Republic presidency says Patrice Talon is safe and the “regular” army is regaining control, after a group of soldiers announced a coup early Sunday.
“This is a small group of people who only control the television. The regular army is regaining control. The city and the country are completely secure,” his office told AFP.
The presidency dismissed the soldiers’ claim, describing the group as a small faction with access only to the television station. It said loyal security forces were restoring order and that the situation in Cotonou and across the country remained secure. It also reaffirmed that President Talon, who has led the nation for a decade and is due to step down in April, was unharmed.
The soldiers, who identified themselves on state television as the “Military Committee for Refoundation”, declared that they had resolved to depose the president. Their announcement comes amid a surge of coups across parts of Africa, including recent incidents in Madagascar and Guinea-Bissau, as well as earlier military takeovers in neighbouring Niger and Burkina Faso.
Following the declaration, the French Embassy reported gunfire at Camp Guezo, near Talon’s official residence in Cotonou, and advised French nationals to remain indoors.
Benin has a long history of coups and attempted coups. Talon, who assumed office in 2016, is approaching the end of his second and final term in 2026. With the main opposition party excluded from the succession race, the ruling party is expected to face a “moderate” opposition bloc in the upcoming elections.
Talon, 67, a former businessman popularly known as the “cotton king” of Cotonou, is credited with driving economic development but continues to face criticism from opponents who accuse him of authoritarian tendencies.
