A group of Beninese soldiers on Sunday announced on state television that they had removed President Patrice Talon from office, though officials close to the president insist he is safe and that loyal forces are restoring order.
The soldiers, identifying themselves as members of the Military Committee for Refoundation (CMR), declared that they had met and resolved to depose Talon. Their announcement comes amid a recent wave of coups in parts of Africa, including Madagascar and Guinea-Bissau, and follows instability in neighbouring Niger and Burkina Faso.
The French Embassy in Cotonou reported gunfire around Camp Guezo, located near the president’s residence in the commercial capital, advising French nationals to stay indoors.
Despite the broadcast, sources in the presidency said there was no cause for alarm, describing the situation as the work of “a small faction” that managed to seize the state broadcaster temporarily. According to the president’s team, loyal troops were already regaining control and security remained intact across the country.
President Talon, who has governed Benin since 2016, is expected to leave office in April at the end of his second and final constitutional term. His decade-long tenure has been noted for major economic reforms, though critics continue to accuse him of stifling political opposition. The main opposition party has been barred from contesting the upcoming election, leaving the ruling party to compete primarily against a moderate opposition bloc.
Talon, 67, a businessman often referred to as the “cotton king”, has played a prominent role in shaping Benin’s economic landscape but remains a polarising figure politically.
