ECOWAS troops from Ghana, Ivory Coast, Nigeria and Sierra Leone will be deployed to Benin, where President Patrice Talon stressed in a TV address that the situation was "under control" after a failed coup.

ECOWAS, West Africa's regional security force, has deployed standby troops to Benin in the wake of a failed government overthrow at the hands of military actors. 

Authorities say soldiers from ECOWAS will "support the Government and the Republican Army of Benin to preserve constitutional order and the territorial integrity of the Republic of Benin."

Key points

• Soldiers appeared on TV on Sunday saying Talon has been ousted
• However, the government and president later deemed the coup unsuccessful
• 14 arrests were made and standby troops from neighboring countries were deployed

Talon says situation 'totally under control' in address to nation

President Patrice Talon spoke of the situation in a nationally televised address broadcast Sunday.

"I would like to assure you that the situation is completely under control and therefore invite you to calmly go about your activities starting this very evening," said Talon on state broadcaster Benin TV.

"Security and public order," he added, "will be maintained throughout the national territory." Talon said the "treachery" of rogue soldiers attempting to oust him, "will not go unpunished."

Benin government arrests 14 in failed coup attempt

The government of Benin said on Sunday that 14 people have been arrested in connection with the attempted military coup.

"A small group of soldiers launched a mutiny with the goal of destabilizing the state and its institutions," said Interior Minister Alassane Seidou in a statement.

"In response to this situation, the armed forces of Benin and their leadership, true to their oath, retained control of the situation and foiled the manoeuvre." 

What do we know about the attempted coup in Benin?

Earlier on Sunday, soldiers from a group calling itself the Military Committee for Refoundation (Comité militaire pour la refondation), or CMR, appeared on state television and announced that President Patrice Talon had been "removed from office as president of the republic."

The soldiers said all state institutions had also been dissolved and that Lieutenant Colonel Pascal Tigri had been appointed president of the military committee.

"The army solemnly commits to give the Beninese people the hope of a truly new era, where fraternity, justice and work prevail," said a statement read by one of the soldiers before the TV signal was cut.

The French Embassy said on social media that "gunfire was reported at Camp Guezo" near the president's official residence in Cotonou, Benin's largest city and economic capital, just south of the official capital of Porto Novo.

Government says coup attempt unsuccessful

However, government spokespeople quickly insisted that the apparent coup attempt was unsuccessful.

"Everything is fine," Wilfried Houngbedji, a spokesman for the Benin government told the Associated Press earlier on Sunday.

Another source told the French AFP news agency that President Talon was safe, saying:

"This is a small group of people who only control the television. The regular army is regaining control. The city [of Cotonou] and the country are completely secure. It's just a matter of time before everything returns to normal. The clean-up is progressing well."

A military source also said that the situation was "under control" and that the coup plotters had not taken either Talon's residence or the presidential offices.

Indeed, while AFP reported that state television buildings, some international institutions and a five-star hotel had been blocked off by soldiers, no military presence was reported at the airport or in the rest of the city, and residents were reportedly going about their regular business.

African organizations condemn coup attempt

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), of which Benin is a member, called the attempted coup "unconstitutional" and a "subversion of the will of the Beninese people".

The African Union said it "unequivocally condemns" the actions of the soldiers and urged them to return to their barracks.

What is the general situation in Benin?

Following independence from France in 1960, Benin witnessed multiple coups but entered a period of political stability under the two-decade rule of Marxist-Leninist President Mathieu Kérékou.

President Talon, a 67-year-old former businessman dubbed the "cotton king of Cotonou" has overseen solid economic growth in the West African nation in his ten years in office, which is due to come to an end in April 2026, when elections are scheduled.

However, like several countries in the region, Benin has also experienced a surge in jihadist violence.

Last month, a military coup in Guinea-Bissau removed former President Umaro Embalo after a contested election, while Niger, Burkina Faso, Mali and Guinea have also seen military uprisings.

Coup attempt means 'prevailing uncertainty' — Security analyst tells DW

Security analyst Beverly Ochieng spoke to DW about the group behind the attempt at seizing power.

On the question of why the group didn't simply wait for the electoral process to take place next year, Ochieng said:

"By suspending institutions, it means that essentially you are withholding that election from taking place and delegitimizing the process and even just creating more public mistrust in a process which has led to some contention with opposition members."

Ochieng explained that the faction "was seeking to reset that, which is what we've seen across the region where militaries try to intervene where there's heightened political tensions. They act as arbiters, but sometimes they only end up complicating the institutionalism and the politics."

On the question of what the attempt at power meant for Benin in the coming days, Ochieng said it meant "prevailing uncertainty."

"In the coming days we're likely to see additional people being either arrested in connection with this coup attempt; people who may have either backed the so-called coup leader."

Edited by: Rana Taha, Roshni Majumdar