Benin’s military on Monday intensified its search for fugitive soldiers after a failed weekend coup that left several people dead.
Loyalist officers said at least a dozen suspects had been detained and all hostages, including senior commanders, were freed.
Cotonou returned to a fragile calm on Monday afternoon, one day after renegade soldiers briefly claimed to have toppled the president.
President Patrice Talon appeared on national television late Sunday, insisting the situation was “completely under control”.
Talon, 67, is due to leave office in April after completing the maximum two presidential terms permitted by the constitution.
The attempted coup comes amid a wave of military takeovers across West Africa, including in Niger, Burkina Faso, Mali, Guinea and recently Guinea-Bissau.
The government said “violent clashes” erupted at Talon’s residence between the plotters and the Republican Guard, causing casualties on both sides.
General Bertin Bada, the president’s military chief of staff, and his wife were among the dead in separate incidents.
Benin requested rapid assistance from Nigeria, which said it carried out military strikes around Cotonou and deployed troops to support the government.
ECOWAS announced a joint deployment from Ghana, Ivory Coast, Nigeria and Sierra Leone, although a planned Monday meeting in Abidjan was cancelled.
A military source told AFP the number of plotters remained unclear and many were believed to have fled into the countryside.
The source confirmed that arrests were ongoing and that coup leader Lieutenant Colonel Pascal Tigri remained at large.
Talon said on Sunday night that Benin had “stood firm” and “cleared the last pockets of resistance”.
Roads around the presidential residence were sealed on Monday, with tanks positioned across Cotonou as soldiers tightened security.
Benin’s opposition Democrats party condemned the coup attempt, warning that the crisis underscored the urgent need for political dialogue.
While credited for economic growth, Talon faces criticism for tightening political space in a nation once praised for vibrant democracy.
Benin has endured several coups and attempted coups since gaining independence from France in 1960.
