The 1963 Dahomeyan coup d'état was staged on October 28, 1963, by Christophe Soglo, who took control of the Republic of Dahomey to prevent a civil war.

Capitalising on growing cynicism for the domination of southern Dahomey in the French colony's politics, Maga allied himself with the northern tribes.

[7] In early 1961, the president began applying repressive measures on the opposition press and anyone suspected of trouble-making, thus practically eliminated Ahomadégbé-Tomêtin's voice in the country.

[9] Maga then attempted to design a four-year growth plan, to begin on January 1, 1962, that contained many ambitious acts.

He added the planning and development duties to Apithy's office to quench his apparently unquenchable thirst for power.

[13] Nonetheless, he accused Maga of being a dictator, and the series of demonstrations the vice president coordinated would ultimately depose his boss.

He was released after his fellow deputies in the National Assembly requested to suspend proceedings against him under the parliamentary immunity clauses of the Dahomey Constitution,[16] specifically Article 37.

[19] By the end of the second day, protesters forced the National Assembly to put Bokhiri back in jail, which simultaneously enforced a curfew.

[14] In light of recent events, Maga cancelled his trip to the United States and returned to Dahomey immediately.

The protesters and trade unionists were indifferent to these actions; when Maga agreed with their demands and replaced his government with a provisional one in which Apithy and Ahomadégbé-Tomêtin had equal standing, they organized themselves to "boo" this new order.

[20] On October 28 Chief of Staff of the 800-man Dahomeyan Army Christophe Soglo took control of the country[16] to prevent a civil war.

The reasons for the overthrow of Maga was the "luxurious life style of the rulers, abusive increase in the number of ministerial posts, unsatisfied social demands, unkept promises, the rise of the cost of living, and antidemocratic measures that martyrized the people and reduced them to nothing.