Cotonou, Benin – The Dantokpa market in Cotonou is once again a whirlwind of activity, just days after a failed bid to topple the Beninese government.
Pedestrians and cart pushers jostle in the narrow streets, a sign that daily life is returning to normal following the brief but intense crisis.
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Among the bustling crowds, petty traders like Abel Ayihuonsou are back to selling their goods, eager for information about the attempted putsch and what it means for the nation’s future.
“For the moment, everything is back to normal. And that’s very good for the country and we are happy,” Ayihuonsou said, summarising the widespread relief.
The failed putsch
The crisis began on Sunday morning when a group of soldiers seized the national television station and announced the deposition of President Patrice Talon.
However, the attempted coup was swiftly defeated by forces loyal to the president, critically supported by the Nigerian Air Force.
While former colonial power France and regional country Ivory Coast offered Benin support, Nigerian forces, alongside loyalist troops, were instrumental in quashing the rebellion.
Nigeria deployed military jets to target the mutineers, as forces loyal to Benin’s president surrounded a base where the plotters had holed up. This coordinated action forced the coup leaders to retreat from both the state television station they had occupied and the presidential palace they had tried to take by force.
By Sunday afternoon, the interior minister had released a statement saying Beninese army leadership had “foiled the attempt”. And that evening, Talon appeared on state television promising to punish those responsible.
“I would like to assure you that the situation is completely under control and therefore invite you to calmly go about your activities starting this very evening,” the president said.
Beninese journalist Moise Dosumou highlighted the strategic nature of the intervention, suggesting that although Benin requested help, Nigeria’s prompt reaction was key as a regional power.
“A threat of instability at its doorstep would inevitably spill over onto both Nigeria and ECOWAS,” Dosumou observed.
Nigeria’s role in Benin, although commended by the African Union, regional bloc the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), and other international bodies, drew criticism at home.
Some Nigerians wondered how Nigerian fighter jets thwarted a coup in a foreign country, while seemingly unable to do the same to bandits and armed groups terrorising villagers at home.
A region in flux
The failed coup comes at a precarious time for the region.
Several West African countries have witnessed coups in recent years, including Benin’s northern neighbours, Niger and Burkina Faso, as well as Mali, Chad, Guinea and, most recently, Guinea-Bissau, where soldiers seized power last month.
A successful takeover in Benin would have further weakened ECOWAS, which suspended Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger following the successful military takeovers there. These three nations then formed their own confederate alliance known as the Alliance of Sahel States (AES).
Many in the AES states welcomed the initial announcement by the Beninese coup leaders on Sunday.
Analysts believe that a successful coup in Benin could have led the country, which is also battling armed groups, to join the AES, further isolating ECOWAS.
The government maintains that the coup was homegrown, but suggests the scope of the investigation is broad.
“But if investigations allow us to trace it back to a foreign country or foreign forces that contributed to it, we will also, within the framework of international cooperation, express our disapproval and condemnation to those actors,” said Wilfried Leandre Houngbedji, spokesman for the Benin government.
The coup’s shock isn’t limited to Benin politics. The small West African country is an important maritime hub. Many countries in the region, especially the landlocked nation of Niger, relied heavily on the port of Cotonou for imports and exports.
That relation took a hit after the military takeover in Niamey in 2023. Benin’s implementation of ECOWAS sanctions in the aftermath of the coup damaged relations between the two neighbours. Niger now relies on supplies from Togolese ports that are rerouted through Mali and Burkina Faso, forcing up the cost of goods because of the additional logistics.
The instability is not limited to Benin. ECOWAS also recently suspended Guinea-Bissau after the military seized power there following a contested presidential election.
Across the region, many people are disgruntled by the attitude of politicians. It’s little surprise that coups in the region, whether failed or successful, receive at least some support from the individuals who see politicians as nothing more than an elite group mostly concerned about their own interests.
Benin officials, however, said the country isn’t where it is supposed to be, but remarkable progress has been made in various sectors, like infrastructure development and investments, in apparent reaction to a string of accusations levelled against the president and his government.
The future of Benin’s democracy
President Talon, who survived the attempt, is set to complete his second term, backed by ECOWAS, whose forces have been deployed to help secure the country’s 34-year-old democracy.
The attempted coup, however, has fundamentally shaken the nation’s confidence that its democratic stability was permanent.
Presidential elections are scheduled for next April. Although Talon is not running, some critics perceive his influence in the weakening of the opposition, potentially smoothing the path for the governing party’s candidate.
It remains unclear how long Nigerian fighter jets and ECOWAS troops will be deployed to deter future attempts by disgruntled soldiers.
Meanwhile, for people in the region, the failed coup is a stark reminder that stability can be fragile. And many fear that the recent surge in successful and failed coups across the continent means West Africa risks reclaiming its notoriety as a region prone to military takeovers.
