At least thirteen soldiers belonging to the mutineer group that broke into the Benin Radio and Television Bureau (RTB) this Sunday (07/12/2025) during the coup attempt in Cotonou, the country’s economic capital, were arrested, army sources reported, just hours after the rebels announced that they had deposed the president.
“A small group of soldiers launched an uprising with the aim of destabilizing the state and its institutions. Faced with this situation, the Beninese armed forces and their hierarchy managed to maintain control of the situation and thwart the maneuver,” Interior Minister Alassane Seidou announced on television. According to those around him, President Patrice Talon, who will have to give up power in April after two terms in office, is safe.
Seidou called on the population to “continue their activities as usual.” According to the local press, members of the Republican Guard managed to contain the coup attempt and thirteen of the military’s coup plotters were arrested. However, Lieutenant Colonel Pascal Tigri, who led the armed operation at the television station, managed to escape along with another member of the rebel group.
Economic progress, but with deteriorated democracy
Although the authorities did not report any clashes, the French Embassy in Benin assured that in the morning “shots were reported in Camp Guezo, near the residence of the President of the Republic” and urged the country’s nationals to remain in their homes. The US Embassy had also said it was “monitoring reports of shootings in Cotonou.”
Patrice Talon, in power since 2016, will finish his second term in April 2026, the maximum period allowed by the constitution. Although he is credited for Benin’s economic development, the opposition accuses Talon of an authoritarian turn in a country previously distinguished by the vitality of its democracy. In fact, the largest opposition party is excluded from the next elections.
DZC (EFE, AFP)
About The Author
