14 Arrested Over Foiled Benin Coup

Following a failed coup in the Benin Republic, the government has said that about 14 people have been arrested in connection with the incident.

A government spokesperson, Wilfried Leandre Houngbedji, who disclosed this, said that the 14 were arrested as of Sunday afternoon in connection with the coup attempt.

Diplomatic experts, lecturers and civil society organisations have said that the resurgence of military coups in Africa, particularly in West Africa, is driven by a combination of internal and external factors.

Their assertion followed the unpleasant resurgence of military coups on the continent, which reared its ugly head again on Sunday, 7 December, 2025, in the Republic of Benin, when a group of soldiers announced they had toppled the government of President Patrice Talon and taken over the reins of power in the West African country.

Although the authorities in Benin announced that they had foiled the coup and arrested about 14 suspects, there are unconfirmed reports that the coup plotters remain in control, having initially taken over the state television station. Even as experts in global affairs attribute the resurgence of coups to multiple factors, the situation remains unclear.

This development brings the reality closer to home, especially in West Africa, which clearly depicts a continent whose democratic roots have not grown strong enough to ward off military interventions.

While African politics is replete with complexities, complications and contradictions, democracy—apart from in a few countries—has not delivered development, and the human misery index in Africa continues to mount. Although this might not be an excuse for an army takeover, soldiers often cite poverty and insecurity, but an inexplicable ambition for power usually masks this.

In the last 10 years, there have been 10 successful coups and nearly half a dozen failed ones. A cursory look down memory lane reveals a disturbing pattern.

In Mali, Colonel Asimi Goïta led two coups: the first was in August 2020, when he deposed President Boubacar Keïta and became vice president of a transitional government.

He later sacked the transitional government in a second coup in May 2021 and installed himself as interim president.

In the Republic of Chad, President Idriss Déby died fighting rebels in April 2021. Thereafter, senior military officers, including his son Mahamat, seized power, dissolved parliament and suspended the constitution instead of allowing the head of parliament to take control as constitutionally required.

In Guinea-Conakry, Colonel Mamady Doumbouya led his men in toppling the government of President Alpha Condé after the latter attempted to manipulate the constitution to extend his tenure on 5 September, 2021.

On 25 October, 2021, the Sudanese military, led by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, took control of the Government of Sudan in a military coup. Sudan has been embroiled in a protracted civil war for some time.

In Burkina Faso, mutinous soldiers led by Lt Col Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba overthrew President Roch Marc Christian Kaboré on 23 January, 2022, following growing frustration with the government’s failure to control the escalating jihadist insurgency and improve soldiers’ conditions. However, on 30 September, 2022, a second coup took place, when Damiba was replaced by the current head of state, Captain Ibrahim Traoré.

On 26 July, 2023, a coup d’état occurred in Niger when the country’s presidential guard detained President Mohamed Bazoum, and the Presidential Guard commander, General Abdourahamane Tchiani, declared himself leader of a new military junta.

On 30 August, 2023, another coup attempt shook oil-rich Gabon, shortly after the announcement that President Ali Bongo had won the general election held on 26 August.

In October 2025, an elite military unit, CAPSAT, staged a coup in Madagascar, ousting President Andry Rajoelina after weeks of protests over electricity and water shortages that grew into widespread calls for political reform and an end to corruption. Colonel Michael Randrianirina, who removed Rajoelina, took over.

On 26 November, 2025, the military allegedly overthrew the president of Guinea-Bissau, Umaro Sissoco Embaló, seizing power during the collation of election results, which have now been suspended.

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has made efforts in the past to intervene in countries facing this kind of challenge, but these efforts may not have gone far enough.

Apart from ECOWAS intervention in The Gambia, there have been at least two other significant interventions by the regional body: in São Tomé and Príncipe, when former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo intervened in 2003; and in Togo in 2005, when Obasanjo, then ECOWAS Chair, stopped the military from forcibly installing President Gnassingbé Eyadéma’s son, Faure, after his father’s death.

The situation appears rather different today. For instance, after the July 2023 coup in Niger, Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu threatened to send forces to remove the junta in Niamey.

However, Nigerians fiercely resisted this, and it eventually became one of the reasons Niger joined Mali and Burkina Faso in exiting ECOWAS.

The disruption of the democratic process by military coups has brought instability, and experts say it will deepen the continent’s underdevelopment.

Speaking to our correspondent on Sunday, Ambassador Ogbole Ode, former Nigerian High Commissioner to Singapore, said that democratic dividends have not been forthcoming, and this is a significant factor encouraging the resurgence of coups on the continent.

He said, “After the collapse of the USSR and the ensuing period of Glasnost and Perestroika, Western-style democracy and democratisation gained currency. However, it has become apparent that the dividends of democracy are not meeting the legitimate expectations of the people in several countries across the globe, unfortunately.”

On pathways towards reversing this ugly trend, Ambassador Ode said that good governance and delivering the dividends of democracy are crucial. He explained that the patterns experienced in the 1970s, 1980s and early 1990s may not necessarily be the case now.

Professor Uche Mbanaso, a retired Nigerian diplomat, blamed the resurgence of coups on “bad governance and deficit leadership,” adding that the military is no better but exploits the gaps created by politicians, pushing citizens into supporting juntas.

He added that persistent coups have become peculiar to Africa because colonial masters forced disparate peoples together for their own interests.

Foreign and diplomatic expert, Dr Austin Maho, attributed the resurgence of coups in West Africa to “a global democratic recession.”

He said, “Democracy is facing a challenging period, and Africa has seen the largest share of declines, with West Africa—particularly the Sahel—being the worst hit.”

International constitutional law expert, Livingstone Wechie, said the resurgence of coups in Africa is indicative of fractured governance models in African states.

7 He explained that it reveals the pre-eminence of a lack of people’s participation in governance.

Weak Institutions, Mismanagement of Economy  Fuelling Coups – Dr Osimen

Dr Goddy U. Osimen, Associate Professor in the Department of Political Science and International Relations at Covenant University, Ota, Nigeria, stated that the resurgence of military coups in Africa, particularly in West Africa, is driven by a combination of internal and external factors.

Osimen, an expert in Defence and Strategic Studies and Senior Research Fellow at the European Centre for Research Training and Development, UK, stated this in an interview with LEADERSHIP yesterday.

He explained that weak democratic institutions remain one of the major drivers of instability on the continent.

CSOs: Only Responsive Leadership Can End Coups

The executive director of the Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC) and Transparency International Nigeria, Auwal Musaz Rafsanjani, declared that the only solution to coups is for political actors to become responsive and responsible and to address the yearnings and aspirations  the people.

He said this is the only way to stop any justification for a coup, adding that when corruption, mismanagement, impunity, recklessness and abuse of due process continue, there will always be military incursions into politics.

He said politicians “enjoy all the benefits of the fruits of democracy, enjoy special protection, enjoy security—everything democracy is meant to offer the people and the nation. Unfortunately, they limit these only to themselves. And in the process, they continue to bastardise governance, engaging in impunity, rascality, recklessness and looting.”

He added: “That is why you see that even though the military is not supposed to be welcome, citizens do not really see the difference between the civilians and the soldiers because of the kind of brutality citizens face whenever they disagree with a policy or anything else.

“So I think it is in the interest of politicians—absolutely in their interest—to be responsive and responsible so that there will be no justification for any military takeover.

“Nigerian politicians appear not to be learning any lessons. We see all sorts of abuse of due process, all sorts of recklessness, looting, and the use of security for personal interest.”

On the other hand, the ImpactHive Centre for Accountability, Democracy and Rights (ICADAR) condemned the military coup that occurred in the Benin Republic, marking a disturbing setback to the nation’s democratic progress and stability.

In a statement made available to LEADERSHIP by its Executive Director, Dr Bello Ishaq, ICADAR expressed deep concern over the unconstitutional usurpation of power and called for the immediate restoration of constitutional order and a swift return to democratic governance.

Speaking at a recent roundtable organised by the Department of Political Science, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, with the theme “The rumbles in the West African sub-region: Causes, dynamics and challenges”, participants attributed political instability in the region to factors long ignored by political leaders.

A scholar from the National Defence College, Abuja, Dr Nnia Okereke, said the resurgent coups drew attention to myriad issues that needed to be addressed, noting that development remained a serious challenge in the sub-region.

Also, a lecturer in the Department of Political Science at Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University, Igbariam, Professor OBC Nwankwo, expressed shock that instead of governments becoming responsive to the yearnings of the people, what was witnessed was a total collapse of governance.

The Head of the Department of Political Science at Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Professor Jaja Nwanegbo, called for thorough retrospection by African leaders on the causes of military takeovers in the region, with a commitment to ensuring that the continent’s resources serve the interests of the people.

ECOWAS, Nigeria Condemn Attempted Coup in Benin Republic

Expectedly, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the Nigerian government have condemned the coup attempt in the Republic of Benin.

The ECOWAS Commission, in a statement on Sunday, said it received with consternation reports of the military takeover in the Benin Republic, stressing that the leaders of the plot must be held individually and collectively responsible for any loss of life and property arising from their actions.

Similarly, the Nigerian government, through its Ministry of Foreign Affairs, condemned the attempted coup, calling it an act of destabilisation and a direct assault on democracy.

A statement by the Ministry’s spokesperson, Kimiebi Ebienfa, said:

“The Government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria has received with grave concern and unequivocally condemns in the strongest possible terms the attempted forcible seizure of power in our friendly neighbour and brotherly nation, the Republic of Benin, in the early hours of Sunday, 7 December, 2025.”

Commenting on the resurgence of military coups in Africa, the Director, Centre for Peace and Security Studies, Department of History and International Studies, Lagos State University (LASU), Prof. Adewunmi Falode, said, ‘’The simple, better answer is you tend to get crime or an increase in criminal activities where there is poverty, extreme poverty. So, you tend to see more coups in Africa, particularly in West Africa, where institutions are weak.

“Also, where the people feel, or where it is evident that the state has failed to provide what you call political goods for the citizens, that is what is actually driving that thing. Most African states are not actually stable. And if you are not stable, you cannot effectively care for your citizens. If you cannot take care of your citizens, the citizens tend to try to provide for themselves. In the process of trying to deliver, you get a breakdown of law and order in society.”

Professor of International Relations, Lagos State University (LASU), Prof Dapo Thomas, while responding to the resurgence of military coups in Africa, said, ‘’It’s still about backwardness and lack of exposure out of both levels of authorities, that is, the military and the civilians.”

Also commenting on the resurgence of military coups in Africa, Emeritus Professor Jide Osuntokun, a scholar of international affairs and historian said, ‘’I am not familiar with what has happened;it is a bad thing for it to be happening.

“I am not surprised about what happened in the Republic of Benin; it is a constant feature of Benin politics, the economy there is so bad and wretched, unless you have a strong mind, you can’t really solve the economic problem.

“The economy is not working the people are not employed. Maybe the borders to Nigeria are now being policed well, and smuggling  has been reduced, so the economy lifeline coming from Nigeria has been tightened, so it creates a lot of economic problems and the people don’t have the patience, and they are very highly educated people, they have the highest percentage of educated francophone In West Africa, higher than any other country in West Africa, and these people are so used to white collar jobs, they don’t want to go to the farms.

“And once the economy is not expanding, they think the military is the solution.”

On why ECOWAS cannot intervene and prevent the military from taking over these African states as it did in Gambia, he said, ‘’ECOWAS was not built as a fire brigade to prevent coups. How many interventions will ECOWAS make? In African countries today, you have military coups in Niger, Benin, Burkina Faso, Mali, and Bissau. How many interventions will ECOWAS make? No, ECOWAS can’t intervene.

Professor Anthony Kila, a professor of international relations,  also weighed in with his perspective.

He said, “There is one adage: that the death that kills one person should give somebody a sign, and we should be careful: whatever is happening to our peer or our age mate is a sign that we have to be careful.”

Another scholar of international relations and public affairs analyst Dr Adetokunbo Pearse said, ‘’insurgency is caused by dismal performance of politicians. If not that in Nigeria, we are satisfied with 35 years of military government, we may have another coup in Nigeria.”