This past week, Benin’s President Patrice Talon declared that they had just foiled an attempted coup. He announced the outcome as a failure. Once again a group of soldiers seized power, this time the coup plotters. To justify their actions, they argued that the deteriorating security situation in northern Benin explained their decisions. Though at first appearing reluctant to confirm the foiled coup, government spokesperson Wilfried Léandre Houngbedji later confirmed that 14 people had been arrested over the attempt.
Next, the soldiers unleashed a brutal assault on major state installations. They then took to national television together to call for the government’s dissolution. If this coup succeeds, it would be a historic first for Benin, which has not suffered a successful coup since 1972.
In another attempt to quell the unrest, Talon promised the populace that the situation was “100 percent under control.” The security forces moved quickly to neutralize this threat. He continued to emphasize the importance of maintaining calm in the region. This is the region where we have witnessed a deeply disturbing increase in violence perpetrated by jihadist movements.
“The security forces allowed us to thwart these adventurers,” – Patrice Talon
The timing of the coup attempt could hardly be worse for Benin ahead of an important presidential election that is due to take place in April. The interior minister, Alassane Seidou, indicated that the mutiny aimed to destabilize the state and its institutions, reflecting broader concerns about democratic governance in West Africa. Fears have been amplified by recent coups in neighboring Niger, Burkina Faso, Mali, Guinea and Guinea-Bissau. Yet few question that the region’s political stability is now under threat.
Benin has faced an increase in attacks by jihadist militants, raising alarms about national security and governance. Military troops from Ghana, Ivory Coast, Nigeria and Sierra Leone have already sent troops as a preventive measure. Their purpose is to assist in keeping order after the coup attempt.
The growing threat to Benin’s democracy is a stark reminder that even as West African governance has made leaps and bounds, democracy remains extremely fragile. Talon, who has been in power since 2016 and is currently 67 years old, faces the dual challenge of safeguarding his administration while addressing the underlying security issues that prompted the coup attempt.