Benin Republic's President Patrice Talon, on Sunday, vowed that the perpetrators of the failed coup attempt will not go unpunished.
Talon said this during his address to the nation following a failed coup attempt on Sunday, December 7, 2025.
LEADERSHIP reports that government forces had foiled a coup attempt by a group of mutinous soldiers who earlier claimed to have seized power in the West African nation.
RELATED: 13 Soldiers Arrested After Failed Coup Attempt In Benin Republic
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"The situation is totally under control. ... this adventure will not go unpunished... long live Benin," he said.
LEADERSHIP also reports that the dramatic events began early Sunday morning when gunfire erupted across several neighbourhoods of Cotonou, the country's commercial hub, and armed soldiers appeared on state television to declare that they had removed Talon from power.
However, in a televised address hours later, Talon said loyalist forces had regained control of the situation.
"Forces loyal to the Republic stood firm, recaptured our positions, and cleared the last pockets of resistance held by the mutineers," Talon said. "This commitment and mobilisation enabled us to defeat these adventurers and to prevent the worst for our country... This treachery will not go unpunished."
"I stood firm, recaptured our positions, and cleared the last pockets of resistance held by the mutineers," Talon said
Talon extended sympathy to victims of the attempted coup and to people reportedly taken hostage by the fleeing rebels, though he did not provide further details.
Government spokesperson Wilfried Léandre Houngbédji confirmed that 14 individuals had been arrested in connection with the failed coup as of Sunday afternoon.
Regional and continental bodies swiftly condemned the attempted overthrow. ECOWAS and the African Union (AU) both issued statements denouncing the coup plotters, with ECOWAS announcing the immediate deployment of elements of its standby force to Benin Republic to support the government.
Earlier in the day, at least eight armed soldiers, led by Colonel Tigri Pascal, appeared on Benin's national television to announce the dissolution of national institutions, the suspension of the constitution, and the closure of air, land, and maritime borders.
"The army solemnly commits to give the Beninese people the hope of a truly new era, where fraternity, justice and work prevail," the soldiers said, citing deteriorating security in northern Benin and what they described as the government's "disregard and neglect of our fallen brothers-in-arms."
Foreign Minister Olushegun Adjadi Bakari later told Reuters that the mutineers had only managed to briefly seize the state TV network before being dislodged.
Residents of Cotonou reported hearing sporadic gunfire as they made their way to church early Sunday morning. The French Embassy urged its citizens to remain indoors after gunshots were reported near the president's residence.
"I got scared and brought my sofas inside and closed. It's a bit calmer now, which is why I reopened," said Narcisse, a furniture seller in Cotonou, recalling the moment he first heard gunshots around 8 a.m.
By the afternoon, police and soldiers were deployed at key intersections in the city center, and calm began to return, though sporadic gunfire and explosions were reported again in the evening before Talon's address.
The attempted coup came just months before Benin's April 2026 presidential election, which is expected to mark the end of Talon's tenure. Critics accused his government of tightening its grip on power after the adoption of a new constitution last month that created a Senate and extended the presidential term from five to seven years.
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The ruling coalition had nominated Finance Minister Romuald Wadagni as its candidate, while the opposition Democrats Party, founded by former President Thomas Boni Yayi, had its proposed candidate disqualified by the courts over alleged procedural issues.
Analysts said the deteriorating security situation in northern Benin, where jihadist militants have expanded their operations from the Sahel, may have contributed to the soldiers' grievances.
"Benin has been the hardest hit among coastal West African states by jihadist groups that have made major gains in the central Sahel," said Nina Wilen, Director of the Africa Programme at the Egmont Institute for International Relations in Belgium. "Still, Sunday's coup attempt was a surprise given Benin's relative stability for the past five decades."
Benin's last successful coup took place in 1972, making the country one of the region's longest-standing democracies before this weekend's shock rebellion.
