For decades, this small West African country was the example. No coups since 1972. Peaceful transfers of power. A working democracy in a region where strongmen ruled.
Then, in December 2025, gunshots cracked through the capital. A group of mutinous soldiers stormed the state TV and declared a new era. They said the government had failed them. That their brothers were dying in the north, fighting jihadists, while politicians in the south rewrote the constitution.
By noon, it was over. Loyal forces crushed the coup. Nigeria sent jets. The president, Patrice Talon, appeared on camera looking calm. Crisis averted. Democracy saved?
Not exactly. Here’s what they are not telling you about the coup in Benin Republic.
