Benin government says 'foiled' coup attempt

COTONOU, BENIN - Benin's government on Sunday said it had thwarted an attempted coup, after a group of soldiers announced on state television that they had ousted President Patrice Talon.

Military and security sources said that around a dozen soldiers were arrested, including those behind the foiled coup.

West Africa has experienced a number of coups in recent years, including in Benin's northern neighbours Niger and Burkina Faso, as well as Mali, Guinea and, most recently, Guinea-Bissau.

Talon, a 67-year-old former businessman dubbed the "cotton king of Cotonou", was due to hand over power in April next year after 10 years in office marked by solid economic growth but also a surge in jihadist violence.

Early on Sunday, soldiers calling themselves the "Military Committee for Refoundation" (CMR), said on state television that they had met and decided that "Mr Patrice Talon is removed from office as president of the republic".

But shortly after the announcement, a source close to Talon told AFP the president was safe and condemned the coup plottersas "a small group of people who only control the television".

"The regular army is regaining control. The city (Cotonou) and the country are completely secure," they said. "It's just a matter of time before everything returns to normal. The clean-up is progressing well."

On the streets of Cotonou early Sunday AFP correspondents reported hearing gunfire while soldiers blocked access to the presidential offices and to the state television building, although residents elsewhere went about their business.

The US embassy in Cotonou, in a social media post, advised its nationals to avoid the area around the presidential compound and "keep a low profile".

France's embassy recommended its citizens in Benin remain indoors.

Spain's honorary consulate urged citizens to avoid any non-essential travel, while other countries, including Italy, posted numbers for emergency hotlines.

Benin's Interior Minister Alassane Seidou describedthe soldiers' announcement as "a mutiny" aimed at "destabilising the country and its institutions".

"Faced with this situation, the Beninese Armed Forces and their leadership maintained control of the situation and foiled the attempt," he added.

'UNDER CONTROL'

On television, eight soldiers with assault rifles, wearing berets of various colours and saying they represented the CMR, proclaimed a lieutenant colonel "president" of their "refoundation" committee.

They justified the attempted power grab by citing the "continuous deterioration of the security situation in northern Benin".

They said the "neglect of soldiers killed in action and their families left to fend for themselves" as well as "unjust promotions at the expense of the most deserving" were also motivations.

A military source confirmed that the situation was "under control" and the coup plotters had not taken either Talon's residence or the presidential offices.

AFP could not immediately verify that, with access to those areas blocked, as were several other points in the city, including the five-star Sofitel hotel in Cotonou and districts housing international institutions.

There was no military presence reported at the airport and in much of the rest of the city.

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), of which Benin is a member, called the soldiers' actions "unconstitutional" and a "subversion of the will of the Beninese people".

The African Union said it "unequivocally condemns" the attempted coup and urged soldiers to return to their barracks.

Benin's political history has been marked by several coups and attempted coups since its independence from France in 1960.

Talon, who came to power in 2016, was due to reach the end of his second term in 2026, the maximum allowed by the constitution.

The main opposition party has been excluded from the race to succeed him, and instead the ruling party will vie for power against a so-called "moderate" opposition.

Talon has beenpraised for bringing economic development to Benin but is regularly accused by his critics of authoritarianism.