Toppled President Patrice Talon
Soldiers have announced that they have toppled the civilian government in Benin Republic.
The soldiers who struck, announced the overthrow, immediate dissolution and take-over of the government during a broadcast on Benin’s state TV on Sunday
Tagged the Military Committee for Refoundation, the group said the president and all political officeholders had been effectively removed.
Also, all state institutions were also dissolved.
Meanwhile, the entourage of the ousted President Patrice Talon, said he was safe and the army was regaining control.
The 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 announcement follows two coups in Madagascar and Guinea-Bissau in as many months. Benin is bordered in the north by Niger and Burkina Faso, which have also seen military takeovers.
The French Embassy said on X that “gunfire was reported at Camp Guezo” near the president’s official residence in the economic capital.
It urged French citizens to remain indoors for security.
But Talon’s entourage said Talon, who has been president of the west African nation for 10 years and is due to step down in April, was safe.
“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.
Benin’s political history has been marked by several coups and attempted coups.
Talon, who came to power in 2016, is due to reach the end of his second term in 2026, the maximum allowed by the constitution.
The main opposition party has been excluded from the race to succeed him, and instead the ruling party will vie for power against a so-called “moderate” opposition.
Talon, a 67-year-old former businessman dubbed the “cotton king” of Cotonou, has been praised for bringing economic development to Benin but is regularly accused by his critics of authoritarianism.
He has been in power since 2016 and had promised to leave office in April 2026 after the scheduled presidential poll.
In September 2024, Djimon Tevoedjre, commander of the republican guard and head of Talon’s security, was arrested following an attempted coup.
Benin Republic is now the latest West African country to fall under the control of a military junta.
Last month, military officers in Guinea-Bissau captured power after President Umaro Embaló, who was seeking re-election, and Fernando Dias, his main opponent, both declared victory in the country’s election even though the electoral commission had not released official results.
Other West African states under military rule include Burkina Faso (2022), Guinea (2021), Mali (2020) and Niger (2023)
With agency report
