By Adenike Lawal
Tension gripped Benin on Sunday after a group of soldiers declared they had overthrown President Patrice Talon, though the presidency insisted he remained safe and that loyal forces were restoring order.
The soldiers, calling themselves the Military Committee for Refoundation (CMR), appeared on state television to announce Talon’s removal, saying he was no longer the country’s legitimate leader.
Their declaration follows a wave of recent coups in West Africa and comes as Benin borders Niger and Burkina Faso, both under military rule.
The French Embassy reported gunfire near Camp Guezo, close to Talon’s residence in Cotonou, urging its citizens to stay indoors.
Presidential officials, however, downplayed the incident, describing it as the action of a “small dissident faction” that briefly seized the national broadcaster.
They confirmed that Talon, in office since 2016 and set to leave in April, was unharmed and that security forces were reasserting control.
Benin, once coup-prone, has enjoyed relative stability in recent decades. But political tensions have risen ahead of the 2026 transition, particularly following the exclusion of the main opposition from the succession race.
President Talon, 67, credited with driving economic growth, has also faced criticism over democratic backsliding.
