Expert outlines key actions to end coups, including Sanction Application

On Sunday, December 7, 2025, soldiers identifying themselves as members of the Military Committee for Refoundation (CMR) announced a coup – a development that was hours later declared a failed plot by the Beninese Minister of Interior and Public Security, Alhassane Seidou.
The minister in a televised address declared that the situation was under state control, and President Patrice Talon was safe.
In the hours that followed, ECOWAS announced swift measures, including the deployment of troops from the standby force to assist the National Guard to avert an escalation in the security and political situation.
The failed coup in Benin on December 7 followed that of Guinea-Bissau on November 26, which is raising concerns about the future of democracy in West Africa.
Our guest, Désiré Assogbavi, the Advocacy Advisor for Africa at Open Society Foundation OSF recently presented a paper in which he outlined 7 key actions to end coups.
He tells us about the first, sanctions.