Benin coup attempt updates: Interior minister says coup attempt thwarted

Thank you for joining our live coverage of an attempted coup in Benin by a group of soldiers that has been foiled by the country’s armed forces, according to the government.

You can read our up-to-date article on the attempted coup here.

And you can watch how it all played out here.

We’ll be closing this live page soon, so here are the day’s main developments:

• A group of soldiers appeared on Benin’s national television on Sunday morning, claiming to have seized power.
• The group, which called itself the Military Committee for Refoundation, announced the removal of President Patrice Talon and all state institutions.
• Shortly after the soldiers’ declaration, a source close to Talon told AFP the president was safe and the regular army was regaining control.
• Interior Minister Alassane Seidou later said in a video statement that Benin’s armed forces had thwarted the attempted coup, urging the population “to go about their business as usual”.
• The Economic Community of West African States and the African Union released statements condemning the attempted military coup and expressed support for the government’s efforts to restore order.
• A dozen soldiers were arrested following the attempted coup, reports said.

The prevailing news is that the coup attempt has failed, and that it has now morphed into information warfare, Oluwole Ojewale, a Dakar-based analyst at the West Africa office of the Institute of Security Studies, has told Al Jazeera.

“It’s about who can actually control what people get to listen to now, that is the reason why we’ve been bombarded with a lot of reports … but I think for the next few hours, we will be seeing serious contestation within the media waves in terms of who gains the upper hand,” he said.

He said the political context is one in which the opposition sees the ruling party tightening its grip on power and, with no viable path through the ballot box, may look to military allies to seize power by force.

In recent months, the incumbent president has intensified pressure on opponents – jailing some and shrinking the space for free political expression, Ojewale said.

That creates conditions in which military figures, like the lieutenant colonel (Pascal Tigri), now drawn into this, can act as placeholders for broader interests seeking to capture the state, he added.

Watch our video report below:

As we’ve reported, Benin’s Interior Minister Alassane Seidou said in a video shared online that the country’s armed forces had foiled the coup bid.

Here’s what he said in full:

“People of Benin, dear compatriots,

“In the early morning of Sunday, December 7, 2025, a small group of soldiers launched a mutiny with the aim of destabilising the state and its institutions.

“Faced with this situation, the Beninese armed forces and their hierarchy, faithful to their oath, remained committed to the republic.

“Their response allowed them to maintain control of the situation and thwart the attempt.

“Therefore, the government urges the population to go about their business as usual.”

• Benin is located in West Africa, extending north from the Gulf of Guinea in the Atlantic Ocean to the Niger River.
• It is bordered to the northwest by Burkina Faso, to the east by Nigeria, and to the west by Togo.
• Its population is about 14 million.
• Benin’s capital city is Porto-Novo, but Cotonou is the largest city and de facto administrative and economic capital.
• Between the late 1800s and 1960, Benin was a French colony.
• The official language of Benin is French; however, different ethnic groups have their own languages, including Fon, Gen, Bariba, Yoruba, and Dendi.
• Almost half of the total population is Christian, while about one-quarter is Muslim, and roughly a quarter adheres to traditional beliefs, including Vodun.

Here’s how some foreign diplomatic missions in Benin responded to the news earlier today:

• The US Embassy said in a statement that it was monitoring “reports of gunfire in the city of Cotonou” and “unconfirmed reports” of a military coup.
• It urged people to avoid Cotonou and areas near the presidential compound, monitor local media, and steer clear of crowds and demonstrations.
• Russia’s Embassy recommended its citizens in the country to “remain at home and observe basic precautions” until the situation in Cotonou becomes clearer.
• The French Embassy said gunfire was reported at Camp Guezo, near the presidential residence.
• It urged French citizens to remain at home until further notice as a security measure, “while the situation is fully clarified”.

The coup attempt has come as Benin is preparing for a presidential election in April that would mark the end of the tenure of Talon, who has been in power since 2016.

Last month, Benin adopted a new constitution that extended the presidential mandate from five to seven years, in what critics said was a power grab by the ruling coalition, which nominated Finance Minister Romuald Wadagni to be its candidate.

The opposition Democrats party, founded by Talon’s predecessor, Thomas Boni Yayi, saw its proposed candidate rejected because of what a court ruled was insufficient backing from lawmakers.

Talon has been credited with reviving economic growth, but the country has also seen an increasing number of attacks by fighters that have wreaked havoc in Mali and Burkina Faso.

In April, Benin’s government said 54 soldiers were killed in an attack in the north by an affiliate of al-Qaeda.

Here is a quick reminder that we have still not heard from President Patrice Talon and have not been notified of his whereabouts.

All that we know is that after the takeover attempt, the president’s office stated that Talon is “safe”, according to the AFP news agency.

The events today come nearly a year after two associates of Talon were sentenced to 20 years in prison following their arrest in 2024 on suspicion of plotting a coup.

Olivier Boko, a businessman and longtime friend of the president, and Oswald Homeky, a former sports minister, were found guilty of “conspiracy against state security” and “corruption of a public official” by the court for financial crimes and terrorism in Cotonou.

The men were convicted in January following their arrest in September 2024, after being accused of bribing the commander in charge of the president’s security to carry out a coup.

Homeky was caught while allegedly handing over six bags of money to the head of the presidential guard, according to Elonm Mario Metonou, the special prosecutor at Benin’s court for financial crimes and terrorism.

Boko, often seen as Talon’s “right-hand man”, was accused of being the mastermind behind the coup attempt and was arrested separately. Several politicians, including Homeky, had expressed support for Boko’s potential run in next year’s presidential election.

Usually, when a military officer appears on television to announce a coup, it doesn’t necessarily mean they are the coup leader or will be made president at the end of the day.

We’ve seen that happen in Niger and in countries like Mali and Burkina Faso.

It’s important to note that Benin is a very important maritime hub.

Despite Nigeria having several ports, Benin continues to play a critical role in delivering goods and services by sea to Nigeria and many other West African countries.

Al Jazeera’s Ahmed Idris, who has reported extensively across West Africa, says the situation remains confusing due to the contradictory information.

“The government says it has successfully repelled an attack on the presidential palace, despite soldiers on national television announcing measures closing the land, sea, and air borders of Benin,” he said.

“But a coup attempt has definitely taken place in Benin,” Idris added.

“West Africa is gradually regaining its notoriety for coup plots and military takeovers.”