Benin Coup Attempt: Soldiers Claim to Oust President Talon and Dissolve Government

Benin Coup Attempt: Soldiers Claim to Oust President Talon and Dissolve Government. Early on Sunday, December 7, 2025, the political stability of Benin was thrown into sudden chaos. In a startling broadcast on state television, a faction of soldiers declared they had seized power, announcing the removal of President Patrice Talon and the dissolution of the nation’s government and all state institutions.

Identifying themselves as the “Military Committee for Refoundation,” or CMR, the group read a statement live on air, effectively placing the West African nation under military rule. They named Lieutenant Colonel Pascal Tigri as the head of the new governing committee.

Immediate and sweeping measures were announced to consolidate this claimed control. The soldiers declared the constitution suspended, all borders and airspace closed, and the activities of every political party halted. The broadcast followed unsettling reports of heavy gunfire near the presidential residence in Cotonou, at a military camp known as Camp Guezo, signaling the violent origins of the takeover attempt.

However, the situation developed rapidly. Within hours, President Talon’s office issued a firm denial of the coup’s success. Official communications dismissed the plotters as a limited group whose authority extended no further than the television studio they occupied. The Presidency confirmed that President Talon was safe and asserted that loyalist forces were actively re-establishing control, assuring citizens that the situation in the capital and across the country was being secured.

This attempted coup represents a severe test for Benin, a country that has been widely regarded as a bastion of democracy in a region recently troubled by military takeovers. Since its transition from military rule in the early 1990s, Benin has stood out for its political continuity. The current crisis emerges against a complex backdrop: President Talon, a businessman first elected in 2016, had recently indicated he would not seek re-election in the upcoming April poll. Yet, this move toward a peaceful transition has been accompanied by significant political tension, including a contentious legislative decision to extend the presidential term, which may have fueled underlying discontent.

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As events continue to unfold, the narrative remains fractured. While the military committee claims authority, the sitting government maintains that the attempt has been thwarted, leaving the nation and international observers in a state of tense uncertainty about the final outcome. For more information, I recommend Songbux.