Benin Foils Military Coup Attempt, 14 Arrested

The government of Benin says it has thwarted an attempted coup after a group of soldiers tried to seize power in the early hours of Sunday.

Interior Minister Alassane Seidou, in a televised address, said the armed forces “remained committed to the republic” as loyalist troops moved swiftly to suppress what he described as “a mutiny aimed at destabilising the state and its institutions.”

Earlier, the renegade soldiers, led by Lt-Col Pascal Tigri, briefly took over the national television station and announced that President Patrice Talon had been removed.

It was reported that gunfire erupted near the presidential residence in Porto-Novo, while journalists at the state broadcaster were held hostage for several hours.

A presidential adviser later confirmed that Talon was safe, dismissing rumours that he had sought refuge at the French embassy.

French diplomats also denied the reports.

Government spokesperson Wilfried Leandre Houngbedji told Reuters that 14 people had been arrested so far.

A journalist in Cotonou said 12 of those detained were involved in storming the TV station, including a previously dismissed soldier.

The attempted takeover triggered heavy security deployment across Cotonou, with helicopters hovering overhead and major roads cordoned off.

Foreign embassies, including those of France, Russia, and the United States, issued advisories urging citizens to stay indoors.

In their broadcast, the rebel soldiers accused Talon of neglecting worsening insecurity in northern Benin, where militants linked to Islamic State and al-Qaeda have carried out deadly attacks near the borders with Niger and Burkina Faso.

They also protested rising taxes, cuts to public healthcare, and alleged political repression.

President Talon, 67, who came to power in 2016 and is expected to leave office next year after his second term, has faced growing criticism over democratic backsliding, including the barring of key opposition figures and recent constitutional amendments.

Sunday’s events add to a worrying pattern of military takeovers across West Africa, with recent coups in Burkina Faso, Guinea, Mali, Niger, and, just last week, Guinea-Bissau.

Ecowas, the AU, and Nigeria have all condemned the attempted coup in Benin, calling it a threat to regional stability.

Nigeria described the failed plot as a “direct assault on democracy” and commended Benin’s security forces for protecting the constitutional order.

Killings in Nigeria: ‘Enough is Enough,’ SNG-USA Cries Out from U.S. Capitol

By Boniface Ihiasota, USA

The Save Nigeria Group USA (SNG-USA) has intensified calls for urgent international action to halt what it described as a full-scale genocide against Christians in Nigeria.

Its President, Stephen Osemwegie, led a major rally at the U.S. Capitol Grounds in Washington, D.C., drawing Nigerians, Americans, clergy, human rights advocates and members of the diaspora to stand in solidarity with victims of violence.

Addressing the crowd in frigid weather, Osemwegie said millions of Christians across several Nigerian states live under constant threat of attacks.

He detailed a series of atrocities, including beheaded pastors, torched churches, abducted women and children, razed villages and wiped-out communities, insisting that the violence had long surpassed communal clashes and now represented a coordinated effort to annihilate Christian populations.

He cited the recent abduction of more than 300 pupils of Saint Mary’s Catholic School as evidence of the systematic nature of the attacks.

Osemwegie accused the Nigerian government of failing to uphold its constitutional responsibility to protect citizens, describing the 1999 Constitution as “a document imposed by soldiers” that had created a centralized system empowering extremists while weakening regional autonomy and endangering minority communities.

He called for a return to a constitutional framework similar to that of 1960, which he said would restore balanced governance and empower regions to safeguard their people.

The SNG-USA president commended U.S. President Donald J. Trump for redesignating Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC), praising him for moral clarity and willingness to act when others remained silent.

He urged the U.S. Government to enforce the designation fully, including sanctions, visa restrictions, and asset freezes against individuals, officials, and networks allegedly involved in terror financing, mass displacement, or the concealment of atrocities.

Osemwegie also called on U.S. Senate and House leadership to act with urgency, warning that every delay could cost more lives.

He appealed to Senate Republican Leader John Thune to advance Senator Ted Cruz’s legislation targeting violent extremist groups and their sponsors, and urged House Speaker Mike Johnson to move forward with resolutions formally recognising the killings of Christians in Nigeria as genocide.

He further demanded the release of thousands of pages of FBI documents allegedly related to criminal investigations involving Nigeria’s President, stressing that transparency was essential for both American and Nigerian interests.

Highlighting the case of Sunday Jackson, a Christian farmer reportedly sentenced to death for defending his community from attacks, Osemwegie said the situation reflected a justice system in which “killers walk free while defenders face execution.”

He emphasised that the movement was driven by conscience and divine instruction, and vowed that the group would continue to speak for the voiceless and defend the persecuted.

Following the rally, SNG-USA issued a statement reaffirming its position and thanking American political leaders for engaging with the group.

It expressed appreciation to Donald Trump for considering its appeals, to Senators Thune and Ted Cruz for their leadership, and to House Speaker Mike Johnson and Congressmen Riley Moore and Chris Smith for meeting with its delegation.

The group also offered condolences to Congressman Moore and the people of West Virginia over the deaths of recently fallen members of the West Virginia National Guard.

The statement revealed that senior officials of the U.S. Department of State held a two-hour closed-door meeting with SNG-USA representatives, during which survivors of attacks provided firsthand testimonies.

The organisation expressed optimism about the State Department’s willingness to listen and commitment to global religious freedom.

SNG-USA also acknowledged U.S. media outlets for hthe crisis. It thanked clergy, human rights organisations, Nigerian-American communities, and other supporters who participated in the rally despite freezing temperatures.

Osemwegie concluded by pledging that the group would remain resolute until justice is served, the killings stop, and displaced Christians are restored to their homes. He declared, “We will not stop until the genocide ends.”

Perennial Coups in Africa, by Boniface Ihiasota 

Africa’s post-independence path has often been marred by abrupt disruptions of democratic order, with coups becoming a recurrent and, tragically, almost predictable phenomenon. The recent events in Benin reaffirm that this spectre remains alive. On 7 December 2025, a group of soldiers appeared on state television declaring they had seized power, dissolved national institutions, suspended the constitution, and closed the country’s borders. Yet the attempt was thwarted when loyalist forces regained control, with the government’s Interior Minister confirming the coup had been foiled.

This near-coup in Benin is not an isolated incident; rather, it is a vivid illustration of a broader pattern that has haunted the continent for decades. Since the 1950s, the tally of coups, both successful and attempted, in Africa outstrips any other region globally. By some estimates, between 1950 and 2023, Africa registered around 220 coup attempts, of which 109 succeeded and 111 failed. At least 45 of the 54 countries on the continent have experienced at least one coup attempt in their postcolonial history.

The persistence of coups in Africa can be traced to deep structural challenges. Weak institutions, fragile rule of law, endemic corruption, economic hardship, and porous civil-military relations often create fertile ground for military interventions. Researchers have consistently noted the imbalance between civilian governance structures and powerful militaries as a recurring factor in the continent’s political instability.

West Africa, in particular, has borne the brunt of this cycle. Between 2020 and 2023 alone, there were nine coups or attempted coups across West and Central Africa, with nations such as Niger, Mali, Burkina Faso, Chad, and Guinea experiencing partial or complete military takeovers.

The attempted coup in Benin stands out because, for many years, the country had been regarded as one of West Africa’s more stable democracies. Since the return to democratic rule in 1991 after nearly two decades of military dictatorship, Benin has regularly held presidential elections every five years. The 2025 attempt, therefore, is both a shock and a wake-up call.

The details surrounding the recent Benin plot are unsettling. According to the state prosecutor in a prior 2024 case, a coup attempt allegedly involved bags containing 1.5 billion CFA francs, approximately 2.5 million U.S. dollars, intended as funds to bribe or mobilize the presidential guard. Those implicated included a former sports minister and a businessman linked to high-level politics.

While not identical to the 2025 mutiny, the previous case indicates deeper undercurrents of elite intrigue and corruption that may feed motivations for a coup. The immediate impact of the failed 2025 attempt will likely be an internal reckoning: increased insecurity, possible crackdowns, and a climate of suspicion, all of which tend to frighten away investors and diminish public trust. But the consequences extend beyond the immediate. Every interruption in democratic order chips away at long-term institution-building and erodes the social contract between state and citizen.

From the diaspora, the frustration is palpable. We watch as our homelands oscillate between hope and despair, innovation and interruption. Our remittances, investments, and prayers for progress are tethered to the fate of countries like Benin. When a fragile democracy nearly falls, it shakes our belief in a stable Africa whose promise we carry with us across oceans and continents. However, beyond despair lies reflection, and perhaps even resolve.

The coup attempt in Benin should serve as a warning that stability cannot be taken for granted and that democracy is not guaranteed but must be actively nurtured and protected.

For Africa to break free from this cyclical fate of coups, governance structures must be strengthened to ensure a robust judiciary, independent electoral bodies, transparent civilian oversight of the military, and accountable intelligence services. Civic education must cultivate vigilant citizens who demand accountability and refuse to normalize unconstitutional transfers of power.

Regional and international solidarity is equally important, supporting democracy through the promotion of governance, human rights, and long-term stability rather than the expediency of short-term interests.

The failed coup in Benin is a moment of reckoning, not only for Benin but for the continent as a whole. Coups may disrupt governments, but they cannot and should not disrupt the enduring spirit of Africa. The long arc of African progress, encompassing democracy, development, and dignity, demands more than periodic elections; it requires strong institutions, integrity, and a citizenry committed to holding power accountable.

The shadow of coups has loomed over Africa for decades, but it is neither immutable nor inevitable. Breaking this cycle demands collective responsibility, unity, and the prioritization of national interest over personal ambition. Only through these sustained efforts can Africa replace the recurrent threat of military takeovers with a horizon of lasting democracy and development, ensuring that the promise of the continent is no longer postponed but fulfilled for generations to come.