Daily Digest Online

COTONOU, Benin — In the early hours of Sunday, December 7, 2025, soldiers appeared on state television in Benin to announce the dissolution of the government, the latest tremor in a region shaken by military takeovers. While government forces moved to assert control, the brief broadcast from the self-proclaimed "Military Committee for Refoundation" underscored a stark reality: West Africa, once a beacon of democratic progress, is now widely described as the world's "coup belt". The attempt in Benin—a nation celebrated for its political stability and where President Patrice Talon was preparing to respect term limits—marks a troubling expansion of this crisis. It follows the ninth successful coup in West and Central Africa since 2020, with soldiers seizing power just last month in Guinea-Bissau. This new wave of military interventions, often met with public celebration, represents not a sudden collapse but the culmination of deep-seated fa...