Fourteen Beninois military personnel have been arrested and stabilization force from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) deployed in Cotonou following failed coup attempt to oust the country’s president on Sunday.

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The coup attempt in Benin comes after rumors of a similar attempt that was reportedly nipped in the bud in Nigeria. The event also raises serious concerns about the fate of democracy in Africa after successful military takeover of governments in Madagascar, Niger, Mali, Burkina Faso, Guinea and Guinea-Bissau.

President Patrice Talon spoke of the situation in a nationally televised address broadcast Sunday declared situation ‘totally under control.’ He pledged that security and public order would be maintained throughout the national territory.

He vowed that the treachery of rogue soldiers involved in the coup attempt would not go unpunished.

“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,” said Talon on state broadcaster Benin TV.

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Oracle Intelligence reports that Benin faced a brief but serious coup attempt on Sunday when a faction of soldiers calling itself the Military Committee for Refoundation appeared on state television and declared that President Patrice Talon had been removed from office.

The soldiers also announced the dissolution of all state institutions and named Lieutenant Colonel Pascal Tigri as head of their new military body. But the broadcast was brief and hurried.

Soon after, gunfire was reported around Camp Guezo, a key military base near the president’s residence in Cotonou. Soldiers also blocked access to the state TV compound, several international institutions and a major hotel. Even with these flashpoints, much of Cotonou stayed calm.

However, there were no signs of a wider military push even at the airports and strategic neighborhoods. Daily life continued in most communities in the country.

However, government officials countered the broadcast with announcements that the mutinous soldiers had only taken control of the TV station and that loyal forces were reclaiming all positions. A government spokesman said President Talon was safe throughout the events. Another source described the plotters as a small, isolated group, insisting that the regular army was steadily regaining full control.

By Sunday evening, authorities said the attempt had collapsed, 14 people arrested, and security forces on chase of the coup plot.

In a quick response, ECOWAS supported the Beninois government with military reinforcement from Ghana, Ivory Coast, Nigeria and Sierra Leone. ECOWAS labeled the coup attempt unconstitutional, and the African Union issued its own condemnation, urging the soldiers involved to return to their barracks.

The key motives of the coup attempt remain unclear as President Talon is scheduled to end his second tenure in office after planned 2026 elections.