- Residents Resume Daily Life After Foiled Coup in Benin Republic.
- Nigerian forces backed loyalists who regained control of key sites.
- President Talon said the situation was under full control.
Five people gathered in front of newsstand owner Chantal Dagah’s kiosk in Cotonou’s busy economic district on Monday morning. The small crowd was unusual for the area, but curiosity surged after an attempted coup shook Benin over the weekend.
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EKO HOT BLOG reports that Dagah’s stand, located near major government ministries, normally sees slow foot traffic. That changed after soldiers stormed the national television station on Sunday and announced that President Patrice Talon had been removed from office. Loyalist troops, backed by the Nigerian Air Force, quickly regained control and restored order.
“I don’t usually buy newspapers, but today I grabbed two, because something exceptional happened yesterday,” customer Stephane Nelson said as he scanned the headlines for updates.
Despite reports of air strikes and troop movements across the city, calm was gradually returning to the seaside capital. Morning headlines struck a reassuring tone. Le Parakois published “Talon reassures the country after foiled coup” while L’Independant reported “President Talon’s statement reassures and re enchants the Nation.”
Even with stability returning, reminders of the crisis were visible. Tanks stood along Boulevard de la Marina, the route that links the presidential palace with the airport, seaport, and key ministries. Some roads near the palace remained blocked.
“It was important to know more. There’s still a lot in flux, but we know that the stakes are important, especially since a sovereign country had to intervene to support our democracy,” Nelson told AFP. His comments referenced Nigeria’s air strikes and troop deployment after Beninese authorities sought assistance against the self styled Military Committee for Refoundation.
Although the CMR claimed President Talon had been “removed from office,” a source close to the presidency told AFP that Talon was never in danger and immediately mobilised loyal forces to retake the national broadcaster. Hostages, including senior officers, were also freed as the operation unfolded. The search for soldiers linked to the attempted coup is ongoing.
Talon later appeared on national television, declaring that “the situation is completely under control.”
By Monday, daily life in Cotonou was slowly resuming. Street vendors reopened stalls, moto taxis sped between intersections, and schoolchildren made their way across the boulevards. “It’s almost a normal Monday,” said an agriculture ministry employee who declined to be named. “I hope there won’t be anything else like this. I’m happy everything seems to have gone back to normal,” he said while sipping lemon tea.
Some residents, however, were still counting their losses. “I had to close the shop yesterday,” said 19 year old tailor Thor. “Today, I’m here as if it’s a normal day. I hope that doesn’t happen again, because otherwise I’ll lose money.” His workshop is close to a National Guard base hit during the Nigerian air response.
At a nearby noodle restaurant, diners debated whether the slow business was due to the attempted coup or the heavy rains battering the city.
