In Cotonou, Benin’s economic capital and home to the country’s leading institutions, the situation remained calm this morning despite a tense start. Residents awoke to repeated messages on Benin TV, the country’s most-watched public broadcaster. In the footage, individuals in military uniforms claimed that President Patrice Talon — now completing his second term and, consistent with his pledge, not seeking a third — had been removed from office. They announced that a lieutenant colonel named Tigri Pascal was taking control of a “committee for military refoundation.”

According to subsequent updates circulating on social media, the attempted takeover appears to have failed. The president and the Speaker of the National Assembly are reportedly safe. A clash is said to have occurred earlier in the morning as security forces moved to retake the state broadcaster, and the presidential compound has allegedly been secured.

Witnesses who were out early said they saw a convoy of military vehicles speeding along the coastal road toward the administrative district. It remains unclear whether these were loyalist reinforcements or part of the group behind the attempted coup. Other accounts describe heightened police presence and checkpoints across several key arteries in the city.

In neighbourhoods such as Agla and Calavi, slightly removed from the administrative centre but close to major activity zones, motorcycle traffic appeared normal, and most residents stayed indoors, with no signs of panic or large gatherings.

This morning, December 7, a Wikipedia page was created for Lieutenant Colonel Tigri, the officer named in the video announcing the takeover. A Defence Ministry webpage previously referenced by Google indicated that he had been reassigned from a command position in early 2025, though that information is no longer accessible.

As of 11 a.m., Beninese authorities had yet to issue an official statement, leaving several aspects of the incident unclear. The next presidential election is scheduled for April 12, 2026, in what had until now been considered a stable political environment, partly due to Talon’s decision not to run again and his generally positive approval ratings.

Idriss Linge, reporting from Cotonou