A coup attempt announced in Benin on Sunday has been “foiled,” according to the Minister of Interior, Alassane Seidou, who made the statement in a video posted on Facebook.

“In the early morning of Sunday, December 7, 2025, a small group of soldiers launched a mutiny with the aim of destabilizing the state and its institutions,” Seidou said.

“Faced with this situation, the Beninese Armed Forces and their leadership, true to their oath, remained committed to the republic,” he added.

Earlier in the day, a group of soldiers appeared on Benin’s state television to declare the dissolution of the government in what they described as a coup.

The group, calling itself the Military Committee for Refoundation, announced the removal of the president and all state institutions, appointing Lt. Col. Pascal Tigri as head of the committee.

Benin, which gained independence from France in 1960, experienced multiple coups in the decades that followed. Since 1991, however, the country has enjoyed relative political stability following the two-decade rule of Marxist-Leninist Mathieu Kérékou.

Coup d'état underway in Benin

There has been no official update on President Patrice Talon since gunfire was reported near his residence, though signals to state television and public radio initially cut off have now been restored.

The regional bloc ECOWAS condemned the short-lived coup attempt, describing it as an unconstitutional act.

“ECOWAS strongly condemns this move that represents a subversion of the will of the people of Benin. ECOWAS will support the government and the people in all forms necessary to defend the Constitution and the territorial integrity of Benin,” the statement read.

President Talon has been in office since 2016 and was expected to step down next April after the presidential election.

His party’s candidate, former Finance Minister Romuald Wadagni, is considered the frontrunner, while opposition candidate Renaud Agbodjo was disqualified by the electoral commission for lacking sufficient sponsors.

In January, two associates of Talon were sentenced to 20 years in prison over an alleged 2024 coup plot.

Last month, Benin’s legislature extended the presidential term of office from five to seven years, while maintaining the two-term limit.

The attempted coup is the latest in a series of military takeovers across West Africa.

Just last month, a coup in Guinea-Bissau ousted former President Umaro Embalo after a disputed election in which both he and the opposition candidate claimed victory.