Hustle and Bustle Returns to Cotonou After Coup Attempt Failed

Traffic in the Benin capital of Cotonou resumed on Monday following an attempted coup that shook the country a day earlier.

Life activities have since returned to Cotonou according to the information from one of our reliable sources who visited Benin’s administrative center (Cotonou) on Monday.

The soldiers calling themselves the Committee for Refoundation stormed the national television station Sunday and announced the removal of President Patrice Talon, dissolution of the government and suspension of all state institutions.

By Sunday afternoon, the coup was foiled by Benin’s military, supported by Nigerian air and ground forces, which launched a series of attacks against fleeing mutineers.

While the Beninese authorities assured that the coup attempt failed, sporadic gunfire was heard in Cotonou throughout Sunday, causing confusion among residents.

Nigeria’s neighbors deployed military aircraft as part of the regional bloc, the Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS, to stop the mutineers’ plan.

“A coup in Benin is something that surprised me. We don’t need that. We thank the army for doing its job,” said Annick Somavo, a resident of Cotonou.

Talon described the coup late Sunday as a “senseless adventure” and said the situation was under control.

He vowed to punish mutineers and ensure the safety of hostages, including some believed to be senior military officers.

Following its independence from France in 1960, the West African nation has witnessed multiple coups.

Since 1991, the country has been politically stable following the two-decade rule of Marxist-Leninist Mathieu Kérékou.

In January, two associates of Talon were sentenced to 20 years in prison for an alleged 2024 coup plot.

Just last month, the country’s legislature extended the presidential term of office from five to seven years, keeping the term limit at two.