Bénin has joined the expanding group of African nations where military personnel have sought to seize control since 2020. A recent attempt to take over the government lasted several hours on Sunday before official sources confirmed the plot had been neutralized.
In a scenario that has become common across West Africa, a contingent of soldiers appeared on Bénin‘s national television this past Sunday. They claimed to have ousted President Patrice Talon and dissolved the administration following a rapid intervention.
However, the situation shifted quickly. Alassane Seidou, the Beninese Interior Minister, released a video statement explaining that the coup d’état was unsuccessful. He described the event as a mutiny intended to undermine the state and its core institutions, affirming that the national army remains loyal to the Republic.
The following chronology details the wave of military takeovers across the continent, driven by factors such as disputed polls, constitutional changes, security failures, and civil unrest:
Mali: August 2020 and May 2021
Since late 2020, Mali has endured two consecutive military takeovers. Initially, soldiers mutinied near Bamako, detaining high-ranking officials following mass protests against President Ibrahim Keïta, who faced criticism over corruption and failing to stop armed insurgencies.
Colonel Assimi Goïta, the leader of the junta, originally agreed to a transitional government with Bah Ndaw as a civilian president. However, by 2021, Goïta removed Ndaw after political friction and took the presidency for himself, subsequently pushing back democratic elections until 2027.
Alongside Burkina Faso and Niger, Mali now forms a trio of landlocked nations governed by military juntas. These states have distanced themselves from the ECOWAS bloc, forming their own alliance while resisting a quick return to civilian rule.
Chad: April 2021
Following the battlefield death of his father in 2021, General Mahamat Idriss Déby assumed leadership, maintaining his family’s thirty-year grip on Chad.
Despite promising a swift transition, Déby organized elections three years later and was declared the winner. Opposition leaders denounced the results as fraudulent. Since then, the government has tightened its grip on dissent, notably sentencing former Prime Minister Succès Masra to a 20-year prison term earlier this year.
Guinée: September 2021
After 11 years in office, Alpha Condé was deposed by special forces led by Mamady Doumbouya. The move followed Condé‘s controversial decision in 2020 to alter the Constitution to secure a third term.
Doumbouya is now preparing for elections in December. He appears to be transitioning toward a civilian role after a recent referendum granted junta members the right to run for office and extended presidential terms from five to seven years.
Sudan: October 2021
In October 2021, the Sudanese military, under General Abdel-Fattah Burhan, executed a coup that ended the long reign of Omar el-Béchir.
Power was initially shared between Burhan and Muhammad Dangalo (known as Hemetti), the commander of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). However, by April 2023, their rivalry erupted into a violent and ongoing civil war that has created a massive humanitarian crisis.
Burkina Faso: January and September 2022
Mirroring the situation in Mali, Burkina Faso experienced two coups within a single year. In January 2022, Roch Kaboré was removed by Lieutenant Colonel Paul-Henri Damiba. Just months later, in September, Captain Ibrahim Traoré ousted Damiba, citing a failure to address the nation’s worsening security situation.
Traoré has remained in power since, recently dissolving the country’s independent electoral body in July.
Niger: July 2023
General Abdourahamane Tchiani led the overthrow of Mohamed Bazoum, interrupting a period of democratic stability in Niger. This takeover sparked a major diplomatic standoff with ECOWAS, which threatened military intervention to restore the elected government.
The resulting tension led Niger to join Burkina Faso and Mali in creating the Alliance of Sahel States.
Gabon: August 2023
Shortly after President Ali Bongo was announced as the winner of the 2023 election—aiming for a third term to continue his family’s 14-year rule—military officers intervened. They declared the election results void and dismantled state institutions.
Brice Oligui Nguema, a relative of the deposed president, took control and was later confirmed as the winner of the presidential election held this past April.
Madagascar: October 2025
Widespread anger over persistent power outages and water shortages led to mass youth protests in Madagascar, with citizens demanding the resignation of Andry Rajoelina.
Instead of stepping down, Rajoelina dissolved his cabinet, which eventually led to a military intervention that took control of the island nation.
Guinée-Bissau: November 2025
On November 26, soldiers in Guinée-Bissau seized power following a disputed presidential vote. Opponents of the move claimed the coup was orchestrated to prevent the incumbent from losing power.
Both the sitting president, Umaro Sissoco Embaló, and his rival, Fernando Dias, claimed victory in the November 23 election. Embaló eventually fled to Sénégal, while the new military leaders began appointing allies of the former administration to key positions.
Bénin: December 2025
Just days after the events in Guinée-Bissau, Bénin faced its own military uprising following gunfire near the presidential palace. A group calling itself the Military Committee for Refoundation announced on state media that Patrice Talon had been removed from office.
The group named Lieutenant Colonel Pascal Tigri as their leader. However, the attempt was short-lived, as loyalist forces managed to regain control within hours, reaffirming the military’s commitment to constitutional order.
