TV station in Benin overtaken by soldiers attempting coup
A small nation has been rocked by a terrifying coup attempt, with soldiers running wild through the streets declaring an end to the constitution.
A small African nation has been rocked by a terrifying coup attempt, with soldiers running wild through the streets declaring an end to the constitution.
Benin, situated on the western border of Nigeria, was rocked by dramatic scenes over the weekend as fighters stormed the national TV station and briefly seized the airwaves.
Journalists were reportedly held hostage for several hours, with gunfire heard near the presidential residence in Cotonou.
West Africa has been hit by a string of coups in recent years, and Sunday’s events deepened concerns that the region’s instability is spreading. Benin was once regarded as one of Africa’s more stable democracies, but it has faced growing scrutiny over President Patrice Talon’s alleged suppression of dissent.
The mutineers accused Talon of mishandling Benin’s growing security crisis in the north, where militants linked to Islamic State and al-Qaeda have expanded southwards. They also condemned cuts to healthcare, tax increases and the government’s treatment of fallen soldiers’ families.
Their statement referred to “the ignorance and neglect of the situation of our brothers in arms who have fallen at the front and, above all, that of their families, abandoned to their sad fate by Mr Patrice Talon’s policies”.
Hours after the TV station was seized, Talon appeared on television assuring the West African nation that the situation was “totally under control”.
“I would like to commend the sense of duty demonstrated by our army and its leaders, who have remained … loyal to the nation,” he said.
“This commitment and mobilisation enabled us to defeat these opportunists and avert disaster for our country. This treachery will not go unpunished.”
The government declared the attempted coup thwarted, but the day was far from quiet.
Huge explosions echoed across Cotonou in the afternoon, which were believed to have been the result of an air strike.
Flight-tracking data showed three aircraft entering Benin’s airspace from neighbouring Nigeria before returning. Nigeria later confirmed its fighter jets had moved in to “take over the airspace to help dislodge the coup plotters from the national TV and a military camp where they had regrouped”.
Fourteen people have been arrested in relation to the TV station siege, according to government officials.
What happens next?
Talon, 67, is due to step down next year after completing his second term.
He’s pledged not to seek a third, and has endorsed Finance Minister Romuald Wadagni as his preferred successor. Supporters credit him with boosting economic development; critics accuse him of tightening his grip on power.
But tensions have climbed across the nation amid opposition crackdowns, a blocked presidential candidate, and recent constitutional amendments that extended terms for elected officials.
The attempted coup comes just over a week after Guinea-Bissau’s president was overthrown, adding to a growing list of military takeovers in Burkina Faso, Guinea, Mali and Niger.
Meanwhile, Russia has been increasing its influence among several nearby nations.
Both the African Union and the West African bloc Ecowas condemned the coup attempt, with Ecowas announcing it will deploy forces to help safeguard Benin’s “constitutional order”.
Originally published as TV station in Benin overtaken by soldiers attempting coup
