COTONOU, Benin — Benin’s political stability faced a severe challenge Sunday when uniformed soldiers appeared on national television to declare the dissolution of the government in what appears to be the latest military coup in West Africa. Identifying themselves as the Military Committee for Refoundation, the group announced the removal of President Patrice Talon and all state institutions, appointing Lieutenant Colonel Pascal Tigri as president of the military committee.
The broadcast was abruptly cut off following the announcement, with state television and public radio signals going silent. Gunshots were reported near the presidential residence earlier in the day, and there has been no official communication regarding President Talon’s whereabouts or condition.
Government spokesperson Wilfried Houngbedji provided a brief statement to The Associated Press stating ‘Everything is fine’ without offering further elaboration. The attempted takeover occurs against a backdrop of recent political tensions, including the sentencing of two Talon associates to 20 years in prison in January for an alleged 2024 coup plot.
President Talon, who assumed power in 2016, was scheduled to leave office next April following presidential elections. His party’s preferred candidate, former Finance Minister Romuald Wadagni, was considered the frontrunner, while opposition candidate Renaud Agbodjo was disqualified by the electoral commission for insufficient sponsors.
Last month, the Benin legislature approved a constitutional amendment extending the presidential term from five to seven years while maintaining the two-term limit. This development marks another episode in the region’s pattern of military interventions, following last month’s coup in Guinea-Bissau that ousted former President Umaro Embalo after contested election results.