Coup attempt in Benin fails, plotters arrested UPDATED

The Republican Guard of Benin has arrested participants in an attempted coup, 24 Heures au Benin reports.

“There has been no coup in Benin. A group of rebels who announced the overthrow of President Patrice Talon is now in the hands of the Republican Guard. The national television station, seized by the rebels in an attempt to destabilise the situation, has been restored,” the statement said.

Benin’s Minister of the Interior, Alassane Seïdou, confirmed that order has been restored following the coup attempt, France Info reports. “The Minister of the Interior announced that the attempted coup has failed,” journalists noted.

On the morning of December 7, a group of soldiers announced a coup on national television, declaring the removal of President Patrice Talon and the dissolution of state institutions. However, the intervention of the Republican Guard quickly brought the situation under control.

14:48

Soldiers in Benin have announced on national television that they have removed President Patrice Talon from office and taken control of the government.

In their address to the nation, they also declared the suspension of the constitution and the closure of both land borders and the country’s airspace, as reported by the local La Nouvelle Tribune publication.

According to the soldiers’ statement, Lieutenant-Colonel Tigri Pascal will head a newly formed military transition council.

Talon, 67, was scheduled to leave office next year after serving two terms, with presidential elections planned for April. The businessman, often referred to as the "king of cotton", first won the presidency in 2016. He had pledged not to pursue a third term and had already named his successor.

News of a potential coup in Benin follows just over a week after the ousting of Umaro Sissoco Embaló in neighbouring Guinea-Bissau.

West Africa has faced a wave of military takeovers in recent years, including coups in Burkina Faso, Guinea, Mali and Niger. The frequency has raised concerns about the stability of the region, much of which is made up of former French colonies. Since 1990, a striking 78% of the 27 coups in sub-Saharan Africa have occurred in Francophone states, as noted in a BBC article.

By Nazrin Sadigova