Soldiers Arrested After Failed Coup Attempt in Benin
About a dozen soldiers have been detained in Benin following what authorities described as a failed attempt to overthrow President Patrice Talon, according to military and security sources who spoke to AFP on Sunday.
Sources familiar with the incident reported that at least 13 individuals were taken into custody. All but one of the detainees are serving members of the armed forces, while the remaining suspect is a former soldier.
Security officials said the arrests included key figures believed to have coordinated the operation.
The detentions followed a brief announcement earlier on state television, where a group identifying themselves as the Military Committee for Refoundation (CMR) claimed they had convened and resolved to remove President Talon from office.
The group declared that the president had been “removed from office,” asserting control in a message broadcast from the national television station.
The French Embassy, in a statement issued on X, confirmed that gunfire was heard around Camp Guezo, located near the president’s official residence in Cotonou, the country’s economic hub.
The embassy urged French nationals in the area to remain indoors until the situation stabilized.
Despite the tension, officials close to President Talon dismissed claims of his ouster, insisting that he remained safe and that loyalist forces were re-establishing control.
Talon, who has led Benin for a decade and is expected to leave office in April, was said to be secure as normalcy gradually returned to the capital.
“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,” the president’s office told AFP.
Benin, once known for its relative political stability in West Africa, has a past punctuated by coups and attempted takeovers, particularly in the years following independence.
While the country has maintained a democratic system in recent decades, Sunday’s events underscore ongoing security concerns and the persistence of political tensions within the armed forces.
