Benin Coup Bid Blocked: Plotters Fate Unknown, Talon Restores Order as ECOWAS Troops Deploy

Benin Coup Bid Blocked: Talon Restores Order as ECOWAS Troops Deploy. In a dramatic Sunday morning, Benin faced down a sudden attempt to overturn its government. Forces loyal to President Patrice Talon managed to foil a military coup within hours, restoring order after a tense standoff. The swift collapse of the putsch, however, hasn’t eased regional fears, prompting the immediate deployment of West African troops to shore up the country’s stability.

The crisis began in the early hours of December 7, 2025, when a group of at least eight soldiers seized the state broadcaster. Calling themselves the “Military Committee for Refoundation” (CMR), they made a bold on-air declaration. They announced the dismissal of President Talon, the dissolution of the government, and the suspension of the constitution, naming Lieutenant Colonel Pascal Tigri as their new leader.

But their control was fleeting. The plotters held little more than the television station and a single military camp. The government’s response was rapid and public. Interior Minister Alassane Seidou took to social media to assure the nation that a “small group of soldiers” had been stopped and that the armed forces remained faithful to the republic.

By Sunday afternoon, the situation had decisively turned. Government spokesperson Wilfried Léandre Houngbedji confirmed 14 arrests linked to the attempt. The whereabouts of the alleged ringleader, Lt. Col. Tigri, remained unclear, with reports indicating he was fleeing capture. A composed President Talon later appeared on television, stating the situation was “completely under control” and vowing that the “treachery will not go unpunished.”

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The attempt sent shockwaves through the region, triggering an immediate military response from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). The bloc, already grappling with a string of coups in neighboring nations, condemned the move without hesitation and activated its regional standby force.

Acting on two formal requests from Benin’s government, ECOWAS ordered troops to deploy immediately to support constitutional order. Nigeria, holding the bloc’s chair, led the charge. President Bola Tinubu authorized Nigerian Air Force jets to enter Beninese airspace and sent ground troops to help loyalist forces fully retake the occupied TV station and military camp.

This event marks a troubling shift for Benin, a country that had stood as a relative bastion of stability in West Africa’s so-called “Coup Belt” since its last successful coup in 1972. It now finds itself confronting the same forces of instability that have recently swept through Niger, Burkina Faso, Mali, and Guinea.

The mutiny erupts as Benin prepares for a pivotal presidential election in April 2026, which will conclude President Talon’s second and final term. In their brief broadcast, the soldiers cited the worsening security in the country’s north and a perceived neglect of fallen comrades as reasons for their actions.

In the end, the combination of a swift domestic military response and decisive regional backing preserved Benin’s democratic framework. For now, the threat of another junta taking hold in West Africa has been pushed back, but the underlying tensions it revealed remain acutely felt. For more information, I recommend Songbux.