Benin coup thwarted by loyalist troops, President Talon tells nation

Benin’s president appeared on television to reassure citizens of the West African country that the situation was now “completely under control” following the attempted coup earlier in the day.

“I would like to pay tribute to the sense of duty shown by our army and its commanders who have remained… loyal to the nation,” Patrice Talon said, appearing calm during the evening live broadcast.

The government said it had thwarted the rebellion hours after a group of soldiers announced their seizure of power on national television.

Later in the afternoon, huge explosions were heard in Cotonou, Benin’s largest city and seat of government. It is believed to have been the result of an air strike.

Before the explosions, flight tracking data showed that three planes entered Benin’s airspace from neighboring Nigeria before returning home.

A spokesman for the Nigerian president later confirmed that his fighter jets had entered “to take control of the airspace to help expel the coup plotters from national television and from a military camp where they have regrouped.”

There had been a series of coups in West Africa before Sunday’s failed coup attempt in Benin, raising fears that the security situation in the region could deteriorate.

Benin, a former French colony, is considered one of the most stable democracies in Africa. But Talon has faced accusations of suppressing criticism of his policies.

The country is one of the largest cotton producers on the continent, but is among the poorest countries in the world.

Nigeria, Benin’s major neighbor to the east, described the coup attempt as a “direct attack on democracy.”

The 67-year-old president said in his speech that loyalist forces “cleared the last pockets of resistance that were controlled by the rebels.”

He added, “This commitment and mobilization enabled us to defeat these opportunists and avoid disaster for our country. This betrayal will not go unpunished.”

“I would like to assure you that the situation is completely under control, and therefore I call on you to go about your work peacefully this evening.”

It was not clear whether there were casualties, but the president expressed his condolences “to the victims of this senseless adventure, as well as to those still being held by the fleeing rebels.”

Earlier, government spokesman Wilfried Leander Houngbidje told Reuters news agency that 14 people had been arrested in connection with the coup attempt.

A journalist in Benin told the BBC that among those detained, 12 people were believed to have stormed the offices of the national television station – including a soldier who had previously been dismissed.

Eyewitnesses told the BBC that gunfire was heard near the presidential residence early Sunday morning, as a group of soldiers announced on national television that they would suspend the constitution.

They also said that some journalists working for the state broadcaster were held hostage for a few hours.

The French and Russian embassies urged their citizens to stay in their homes, while the American embassy advised them to stay away from Cotonou, especially the area surrounding the presidential complex.

The rebel soldiers, led by Lieutenant Colonel Pascal Tigre, justified their actions by criticizing Talon’s management of the country, first complaining of his handling of the “continuous deterioration of the security situation in northern Benin.”

The Benin army suffered losses near its northern border With Niger and Burkina Faso experiencing insurgency in recent years, with jihadist militants linked to Islamic State and Al Qaeda spreading south.

The soldier’s statement referred to “ignorance and neglect of the situation of our brothers-in-arms who fell on the front and, above all, of their families, whom the policies of Mr. Patrice Talon left to their sad fate.”

The rebels also criticized cuts to health care, including the abolition of state-funded dialysis, tax increases, as well as restrictions on political activities.

Talon, considered a close ally of the West, is scheduled to step down next year after completing his second term, with elections scheduled for April.

The businessman known as the “Cotton King” first came to power in 2016. He promised not to run for a third term, despite Benin’s current two-term presidential limit, and also endorsed Finance Minister Romuald Ouadani as his successor.

Tallon’s supporters have praised his oversight of economic development, but his government has also been criticized for suppressing dissenting voices.

In October, Benin’s electoral commission barred the main opposition candidate from running on the grounds that he did not have a sufficient number of sponsors.

Last month, representatives approved constitutional amendments, including the creation of a second parliamentary chamber, the Senate.

The terms of office of elected officials were extended from five to seven years, but the two-term limit remained in place.

Sunday’s coup attempt comes just over a week after the ouster of Guinea-Bissau’s President Amru Sissoko Embalo – although some regional figures… They wondered if this had been organised.

In recent years, West Africa has also witnessed coups in Burkina Faso, Guinea, Mali and Niger, raising concerns about the stability of the region.

Russia has strengthened its ties with these Sahel countries in recent years – leaving Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger the West African regional bloc ECOWAS to form their own group, the Alliance of Sahel States.

Several pro-Russian social media accounts praised the news of the attempted takeover in Benin, according to BBC monitoring.

ECOWAS and the African Union condemned the coup attempt.

The regional bloc said in a statement that a contingent of the ECOWAS standby force will be deployed to preserve “the constitutional order and territorial integrity of the Republic of Benin.”

The Chairman of the African Union Commission, Mahmoud Ali Youssef, reiterated the African organization’s position of “zero tolerance towards any unconstitutional change of government, regardless of the context or justifications.”