A group of soldiers appeared on television on Sunday, announcing that they had taken control of republic of Benin and dissolved the government in what marks the latest military coup in West Africa.
Identifying themselves as the Military Committee for Refoundation, the soldiers declared the removal of the president and the suspension of all state institutions.
Recent coups in Africa include a military takeover in Guinea-Bissau in November 2025, Madagascar coup in October 2025, a series of coups in the Sahel region like Niger and Burkina Faso in 2022 and 2023, and Sudan in 2021.
The takeover reportedly began in the early hours of Sunday with an attack on President Patrice Talon’s residence in Porto-Novo.
Troops led by Lieutenant Colonel Pascal Tigri later seized the national television station, where they broadcast the announcement of Talon’s ouster.
