Hundreds of young people rallied in Cotonou on Saturday, waving flags and chanting slogans to denounce last Sunday’s failed coup.
Protesters brandished signs reading “Never Again,” calling for peace, stability, and strict adherence to Benin’s constitutional order.
Entrepreneur Youssouf Issa, a legislative candidate, stressed that democracy requires power to be won through elections, not armed takeovers.
Last Sunday, mutineers claimed to have overthrown President Patrice Talon, but the army, aided by Nigeria and France, swiftly quashed the putsch.
Elias Satowakou, known as Gros Griot, recalled Benin’s turbulent 1960s and 70s, warning that coups could erase decades of progress.
Political science student Dieudonne N’Boa held the national flag, cautioning regional powers against tolerating military seizures of government.
West Africa has faced persistent instability, with Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, Guinea, and Guinea-Bissau all experiencing coups since 2020.
Protester Fridaousse Iffabi said preserving the country’s hard-won democratic and economic gains over the past decade was critical.
President Talon, stepping down after two terms in April, has been praised for economic growth but criticised for repressing opposition.
Finance Minister Romuald Wadagni, Talon’s chosen successor, is expected to win easily, as the main opposition party is barred from running.
Benin issued an international arrest warrant for pan-Africanist Kemi Seba for “justifying crimes against state security and inciting rebellion.”
Former defence minister Candide Azannai, a prominent opposition figure, was taken into custody on charges of “conspiracy and incitement to rebellion.”
Lieutenant Colonel Pascal Tigri, the coup leader, remains at large, along with several associates still evading security forces.