A group identifying itself as the Military Committee for Refoundation said it had dissolved the government, closed the country’s borders, and suspended political parties.
Lieutenant Colonel Pascal Tigri, speaking on state TV, declared that the committee had decided President Patrice Talon “is removed from office as president of the republic.”
The soldiers added that Tigri had been appointed head of the military committee.
Separately, the French Embassy said on X that “gunfire was reported at Camp Guezo” near the president’s official residence.
The soldiers claiming to have seized power reiterated that all borders were now shut and political parties halted.
In a related development, AFP cited Talon’s office as saying he was secure and that loyal forces were regaining control.
“This is a small group of people who only control the television,” the presidency told the news agency.
“The regular army is regaining control. The city and the country are completely secure,” it said.
Meanwhile, Benin’s Foreign Minister Olushegun Adjadi Bakari told Reuters there was a coup attempt but insisted the situation was under control.
He also said a large share of the army and the national guard remained loyal to the president and were containing the unrest.
In a separate interview, Adama Gaye, former director of communications at regional bloc ECOWAS, told Al Jazeera that the apparent coup attempt “does not come as a surprise to anyone.”
He said longstanding political tension, including the imprisonment of several opposition figures, had deepened public frustration.
Gaye added that Talon had “eliminate(d) key people in the opposition party, including former President Boni Yayi,” and had already positioned his finance minister to succeed him after upcoming elections.
In a related assessment, Gaye said there had been expectations of a “smooth transition” because Benin had been making “great strides towards its economic development.”
However, he suggested some viewed the planned handover as lacking credibility and feared the next leader could serve merely as a “figurehead”.
Discussing broader regional trends, Gaye said the wave of coups in West Africa stemmed from the fact that “we pretend to have democracy in all West African countries.”
He argued that leaders were “mismanaging democracy to sustain themselves in power; if they don’t become serious about promoting real democracy, they are exposing themselves to military coups.”
Separately, Talon, a former cotton magnate, first took office in 2016 and won re-election in 2021 with 86 percent of the vote in a poll boycotted by some opposition parties.
He is due to step down next year at the end of his second term, the constitutional maximum.
Last month, lawmakers extended the presidential term length from five to seven years while maintaining the two-term cap.
Opposition candidate Renaud Agbodjo was barred from the forthcoming vote after the electoral commission ruled he lacked sufficient sponsorships.
Meanwhile, today’s events follow two coups in African continent in recent months.
In October, Madagascar’s President Andry Rajoelina fled the country, and Colonel Michael Randrianirina declared himself president after weeks of youth-led protests culminated in a military takeover.
In November in Guinea-Bissau, General Horta Inta-A was sworn in as transitional president one day after officers said they had deposed President Umaro Sissoco Embalo, shortly before provisional election results were to be announced.