Benin’s interior minister, Alassane Seidou, on Sunday said that the Army had thwarted an attempted coup by a group of soldiers who claimed to have ousted President Patrice Talon.
He stated that a small group of soldiers launched a mutiny aimed at destabilising the country and its institutions. According to Seidou, the Beninese Armed Forces and their leadership maintained control of the situation and successfully foiled the attempt.
Earlier, military personnel in Benin had announced that they had removed Talon from office, although his entourage said the president was safe and that the army was regaining control. The soldiers, identifying themselves as the Military Committee for Refoundation (CMR), said on state television that they had decided to remove Patrice Talon as president of the republic.
However, Talon’s entourage insisted he was safe. Talon, who has led the West African nation for 10 years and is expected to step down in April, remained protected. His office stated that the mutiny involved only a small group who controlled the television station, while the regular army was restoring order. They added that the city and the country were completely secure.
Talon has been recognised for boosting economic growth, but Benin has also faced rising attacks from jihadist militants responsible for turmoil in neighbouring Mali and Burkina Faso. In April, the government reported that 54 soldiers were killed in a northern attack carried out by an Al Qaeda affiliate.
Last month, Benin adopted a new constitution extending the presidential mandate from five to seven years. Critics described this as a power grab by the ruling coalition, which nominated Finance Minister Romuald Wadagni as its presidential candidate. Meanwhile, the opposition Democrats party, founded by former president Thomas Boni Yayi, had its candidate proposal rejected due to what a court deemed insufficient backing from lawmakers.
