(FILES) Benin's President Patrice Talon waits the arrival of French President at the Marina palace in Cotonou on July 27, 2022. Military personnel in Benin on Sunday announced that they had ousted President Patrice Talon, although his entourage said he was safe and the army was regaining control. 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". The a
Benin’s Interior Minister, Alassane Seidou, says the country’s security forces have successfully stopped an attempted coup by a small group of soldiers who claimed to have removed President Patrice Talon from office.
In a statement issued on Sunday, Seidou said the group had launched a mutiny aimed at destabilising the nation and its democratic institutions.
“Faced with this situation, the Beninese Armed Forces and their leadership maintained control and foiled the attempt,” the minister said.
Earlier in the day, the mutinous soldiers identifying themselves as the Military Committee for Refoundation appeared on state television, announcing the “removal” of President Talon. The president’s team, however, quickly dismissed the claim, insisting he remained safe.
Talon’s entourage described the group as an isolated faction with limited influence.
“This is a small group of people who only control the television. The regular army is regaining control. The city and the country are completely secure,” officials told AFP.
President Talon, who has been in power for a decade, is expected to leave office in April 2026.
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