Situation under control after 'small military group's' coup attempt — Benin foreign minister

Benin's foreign minister said the coup plotters had only taken control of state TV and that the signal had been cut for several minutes.

Robbie Corey-Boulet, Bate Felix, Ayen Deng Bior/Reuters

7 December 2025 at 06:42:39

Situation under control after 'small military group's' coup attempt — Benin foreign minister

A group of soldiers gives a statement on Benin's national television, claiming to have seized power, following reports of a coup attempt underway against the government of Benin's President Patrice Talon, in Cotonou, Benin, in this screengrab from a handout video obtained by Reuters on December 7, 2025.

Benin TV/Reuters

DAKAR - Benin's foreign minister said on Sunday that loyalist soldiers and national guards had regained control after a group of soldiers announced on state television that they had seized power.

"There is an attempt but the situation is under control. Now it's a small group of military. A large part of the army is still loyalist and we are taking over the situation," Olushegun Adjadi Bakari, told Reuters.

He added that the coup plotters had only taken control of state TV and that the signal had been cut for several minutes.

West Africa's ECOWAS bloc said in a statement on Sunday that it strongly condemned an attempted military coup in Benin and would support efforts by the government to restore order.

The chairperson of the African Union Commission, Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, said on Sunday that he "strongly condemned" an attempted military coup in Benin and called for the constitution to be respected.

Robbie Corey-Boulet, Bate Felix, Ayen Deng Bior/Reuters