France has condemned the attempted coup Benin and has called on its nationals in the country to stay alert, as Benin's President Patrice Talon confirmed that the coup had been thwarted and the situation was "totally under control".
France "condemns the attempted coup d'État" in Benin, the French Foreign Affairs Ministry said Sunday in a statement, calling "for respect for constitutional order and the normal functioning of institutions".
France is "mobilised to ensure the security of the French community present in Benin, whom it urges to exercise the utmost caution".
Attempted coup
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Beninese authorities said on Sunday that they had foiled an attempted coup aimed at overthrowing Talon.
On Sunday morning after reports of gunfire near the presidential residence, a group of soldiers calling themselves the "Military Committee for Refoundation" appeared on national television to announce that they had ousted Talon because of the "deterioration of the security situation" and his undermining of "fundamental freedoms".
That sparked a response from loyal army forces supported by air strikes and troop deployments from neighbouring Nigeria, which struck undisclosed targets.
Talon appeared on national television Sunday evening, confirming that the situation was "totally under control" and that "security and public order will be maintained throughout the national territory".
"This outrage will not go unpunished," he added.
Niger, sixth in West Africa's long list of coups
Around a dozen soldiers have reportedly been arrested, including those behind the coup bid.
Nigeria in Benin
Tinubu's office confirmed that Nigerian troops had entered Benin and that the air force had been deployed, and the president praised their involvement in restoring the government in Benin.
The Nigerian presidency said that Benin made two separate requests for air and ground forces.
"It took some hours before the government's loyal forces, assisted by Nigeria, took control and flushed out the coup plotters from the National TV," spokesperson Bayo Onanuga said in a statement.
The West African regional bloc Ecowas, meanwhile, said troops from Ghana, Côte d'Ivoire, Nigeria and Sierra Leone were being deployed to Benin to help support the government and the army to "preserve constitutional order".
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Talon, who was elected in 2016 and has been praised for bringing economic development to Benin, though is accused by critics of authoritarianism, is due to hand over power in April 2026, at the end of his second term, the maximum allowed by the constitution.
(with AFP)
