On August 1, 1960, the Republic of Dahomey celebrated its independence. The flag rose over Porto-Novo. The national anthem played. The French flag came down.

Twelve years later, Dahomey had experienced six successful coups d'etat, a dozen changes of government, and a level of political instability that few newly independent nations could match.

The period from 1960 to 1972 is known in Benin as the "years of turbulence" or simply "the coups." It is a story of three men, three regions, and a political system that could not contain the forces it had inherited from colonialism.

The roots of instability

Dahomey's post-independence instability was not random. It had clear causes.

Regionalism. French colonial Dahomey had three distinct regions: the north (parched, cattle-raising, Muslim-influenced), the south-east (Porto-Novo, the colonial capital, with its educated elite), and the south-west (Abomey and the former Dahomey kingdom). Each region had its own political identity, its own economic interests, its own grievances.

The Big Three. Three politicians dominated independent Dahomey: Hubert Maga (north), Sourou-Migan Apithy (south-east), and Justin Ahomadegbe (south-west). None trusted the others. All wanted power. Their shifting alliances and betrayals created a cycle of crisis.

A weak economy. Dahomey's economy depended on palm oil exports. When prices fell, the government had no money. Civil servants went unpaid. Students protested. The army watched.

The army's ambition. Dahomey's small army, trained by France, saw itself as the guardian of order. When civilian politicians failed — which was often — the officers stepped in.

The merry-go-round begins: 1960-1963

The first government of independent Dahomey was a coalition. Maga was president. Apithy was vice president. Ahomadegbe was excluded.

It worked for about three years.

By 1963, the coalition was collapsing. Maga and Apithy were openly hostile. The economy was deteriorating. Civil servants went on strike. Students rioted in the streets of Porto-Novo — the "Dessou riots" that became a symbol of the era's chaos.

On October 28, 1963, Colonel Christophe Soglo, the army chief of staff, stepped in. He overthrew Maga in a bloodless coup. The first domino had fallen.

The Soglo interlude: 1963-1964

Soglo did not want to rule. He installed a provisional government, then handed power to a new civilian administration led by Apithy (president) and Ahomadegbe (vice president).

The alliance lasted less than a year. Apithy and Ahomadegbe fell out. The economy did not improve. The political infighting resumed.

In November 1965, Soglo stepped in again. This time, he dismissed Apithy and Ahomadegbe both. He did not hand power back. Soglo dissolved the National Assembly, suspended the constitution, and ruled directly.

Soglo's rule was competent but authoritarian. He tried to stabilize the economy and depoliticize the army. But he had no popular base, and the regional politicians continued to scheme.

In December 1965 — just one month later — a faction of younger officers overthrew Soglo. The merry-go-round kept spinning.

The alphonse alley regime: 1965-1967

Colonel Alphonse Alley took power. He was a respected officer, but he faced the same problems: a broken economy, regional tensions, and ambitious politicians.

Alley tried to return to civilian rule. Elections were planned. A new constitution was drafted.

The officers who had helped Alley seize power grew impatient. In December 1967 — two years after taking power — Alley was overthrown by Major Maurice Kouandete.

The kouandete factor

Maurice Kouandete was a young, ambitious officer from the north. His first coup (December 1967) installed a military government led by Colonel Iropa Zinsou, a civilian intellectual.

Zinsou's presidency (1967-1968) was an attempt to break the regional cycle. Zinsou was a diplomat and doctor, not a regional politician. He tried to reform the economy and reduce the influence of the Big Three.

He lasted eighteen months. In December 1969, Kouandete overthrew him.

But this time, the coup did not go smoothly. Other officers opposed Kouandete. The country teetered on the edge of civil war.

The presidential council: 1970-1972

The solution was extraordinary: a presidential council composed of the three old rivals — Maga, Apithy, and Ahomadegbe — who would rotate the presidency every two years.

Maga went first (1970-1972). The system was designed to give each region its turn and prevent the infighting that had destroyed every previous government.

It failed. Apithy and Ahomadegbe did not trust Maga. Maga did not trust them. The economy continued to decline. The citizens of Dahomey watched their political class maneuver while the country stagnated.

On October 26, 1972, a young major named Mathieu Kerekou struck. His coup was swift, bloodless, and final. The presidential council was dissolved. The constitution was suspended. The era of coups was over.

Why so many coups?

Six coups in twelve years. What explains it?

The answer is a combination of factors that reinforced each other:

• A political system built on regional patronage rather than national policy
• An economy too weak to fund the patronage that the system required
• A political class — the Big Three — whose personal rivalries mattered more than the country's welfare
• An army that saw itself as the only functioning national institution
• A population that had little loyalty to a state whose borders had been drawn by colonialism

The coup cycle was not inevitable, but it was predictable. Independence had created a state. It had not created a nation.

The legacy

When Mathieu Kerekou took power in 1972, Dahomey was exhausted. The 1970s and 1980s would bring Marxist-Leninist dictatorship, economic collapse, and eventually a democratic rebirth. But the era of coups left deep scars.

Benin today is a stable democracy. It has not experienced a coup since 1972 — a record of more than fifty years. But the memory of the twelve years of chaos remains. It is a reminder that political stability cannot be taken for granted, and that the choices made at independence echo for generations.

---

FAQ

How many coups did Dahomey have between 1960 and 1972?

Dahomey experienced six successful coups d'etat between independence in August 1960 and Mathieu Kerekou's coup in October 1972.

Who led the first coup in independent Dahomey?

Colonel Christophe Soglo led the first coup on October 28, 1963, overthrowing President Hubert Maga.

What caused dahomey's post-independence instability?

The main causes were regionalism (north vs south-east vs south-west), a weak economy dependent on palm oil, rivalry between three dominant politicians, and an ambitious army.

Who were the three rival politicians?

Hubert Maga (north), Sourou-Migan Apithy (south-east), and Justin Ahomadegbe (south-west) dominated Dahomeyan politics from independence until 1972.

How did the coup cycle end?

Lieutenant Colonel Mathieu Kerekou ended the cycle with his October 26, 1972 coup. He went on to rule Benin for 29 years.

---

Continue exploring Benin's history: Mathieu Kerekou and the 1972 revolution — the Marxist coup · People's Republic of Benin · National Conference 1990 · Dahomey independence 1960

Plan your visit

Walk the streets of Porto-Novo and Cotonou where Dahomey's post-independence history unfolded. Our travel guide covers the parliament building, the presidential palace, and the sites of modern Beninese democracy.