Reports from Beninese media indicate that a coup attempt is underway in Cotonou following an attack on President Patrice Talon’s residence in the Le Guézo neighbourhood early Sunday, December 7, 2025.
According to the outlet TchadOne, the assault was carried out by a group of soldiers led by Lieutenant Colonel Pascal Tigri.
The situation escalated later in the morning when Tigri appeared on national television, reported to be under military control, declaring himself “chairman of the military re-establishment committee.”
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 announcement follows two coups in Madagascar and Guinea-Bissau in as many months. Benin is bordered in the north by Niger and Burkina Faso, which have also seen military takeovers.
The French Embassy said on X that “gunfire was reported at Camp Guezo” near the president’s official residence in the economic capital.
It urged French citizens to remain indoors for security.
But Talon’s entourage said Talon, who has been president of the West African nation for 10 years and is due to step down in April, was safe.
“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,” his office told AFP.
Benin’s political history has been marked by several coups and attempted coups.
Talon, who came to power in 2016, is due to reach the end of his second term in 2026, the maximum allowed by the constitution.
Cotonou remains tense, with eyewitness reports of troop deployments around key strategic locations. No official reaction has been issued by President Talon or his administration regarding the attacks.
