THE Chief of Army Staff of the Benin Republic and the Chief of the National Guard have been freed after being held hostage during a failed coup attempt on Sunday in the democracy-weary Sahel region.
Security analyst Brant Grant confirmed their release in a post on X on Monday, He said the two senior officers were seized by mutinous soldiers during the attempted power grab but have since been rescued.
“Beninese Chief of Army Staff and Chief of Staff of the National Guard have been freed, after they were taken hostage by the mutineers during the coup yesterday,” he wrote.
According to the security expert, their freedom came shortly after President Patrice Talon addressed the nation, assuring citizens that the government had regained full control of the situation.
The ICIR reported that a group of soldiers appeared on Benin’s state television on Sunday, December 7. They seized power and declared that they had dissolved the government in what appears to be another coup in West Africa.
Identifying themselves as the Military Committee for Refoundation, they announced the ousting of the president and the dissolution of all state institutions, adding that Pascal Tigri, a lieutenant colonel, had been named as the head of the committee.
Talon and several top military commanders were held captive in Cotonou by the faction of the mutineers.
The mutiny triggered hours of tension across the country as loyal security forces worked to restore order and secure key state institutions. Authorities say several of the coup plotters were arrested, while others are still being hunted.
Talon, who has been in office since 2016, had been expected to leave office next April – 2026, at the end of his second term in 2026 – the maximum allowed by the constitution, after the upcoming presidential election.
The attempted coup adds to a troubling pattern of political instability in West Africa, where Niger, Burkina Faso, and Guinea-Bissau have all recently experienced military takeovers or attempted uprisings.
Political and civil society leaders within and outside Benin have condemned the attack, urging stronger protections for democratic governance.
Government officials say investigations are ongoing and have called on citizens to remain calm, stressing that national security forces have re-established full control.
Reacting, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) announced the immediate deployment of its standby force to the Republic of Benin following the foiling of the attempted putsch.
In a statement released on Sunday, the regional bloc said the troops, including personnel from neighbouring Nigeria, were being mobilised to support the Beninese government and help protect the country’s constitutional order.
It added that the decision to deploy standby force was in pursuant to the provisions of relevant ECOWAS instruments, in particular Article 25(e) of the 1999 Protocol Relating to the Mechanism for Conflict Prevention, Management, Resolution Peacekeeping and Security.
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Nanji is an investigative journalist with the ICIR. She has years of experience in reporting and broadcasting human angle stories, gender inequalities, minority stories, and human rights issues. She has documented sexual war crimes in armed conflict, sex for grades in Nigerian Universities, harmful traditional practices and human trafficking.