COTONOU, Dec 9: Benin’s President Patrice Talon said the situation is “completely under control” after an attempted coup on Sunday was thwarted by government forces, assisted by the Nigerian military.
Benin, home to around 14 million people, has experienced occasional coups since gaining independence from France in 1960 but has maintained uninterrupted democratic governance for the past 20 years. While Porto-Novo is the official capital, Cotonou serves as the country’s largest city and administrative center.
Calm returned to Cotonou after violent clashes erupted between coup plotters and the Republican Guard at the presidential residence, resulting in “casualties on both sides,” according to the government, TRT World reported..
Among the dead was the wife of the president’s military chief-of-staff, General Bertin Bada, who himself was fatally wounded in an earlier assault. Sporadic gunfire continued throughout the day, and soldiers remained visibly deployed across the city to maintain security.
A group of soldiers calling themselves the Military Committee for Refoundation appeared on state television Sunday, claiming to have overthrown President Talon. Eight soldiers announced the president’s removal, the suspension of government institutions, and the dissolution of the administration.
They appointed Lieutenant Colonel Pascal Tigri as head of their committee. The mutineers cited deteriorating security in northern Benin, neglect of fallen military personnel, cuts in healthcare, rising taxes, and the government’s alleged indifference toward soldiers’ families as justification for their actions.
Describing the coup as a “small scale attaempt to destabilise the country, Interior Minister Alassane Seidou confirmed that Benin’s armed forces successfully stopped the coup. Loyalist forces swiftly regained control. Nigerian President Bola Tinubu said Nigeria deployed fighter jets and troops to assist Benin following Talon’s request and praised the intervention for defending constitutional order.
President Talon, in a televised address to the nation, assured citizens that the situation was under control and urged them to resume normal activities. Authorities reported the arrest of 14 individuals in connection with the coup, though the whereabouts of Lieutenant Colonel Tigri remain unknown. Talon extended condolences to the victims and to those still held by mutineers.
Benin’s government spokesperson, Wilfried L?andre Houngb?dji, confirmed the arrests, while local journalists reported that 12 of those detained were involved in storming the national broadcaster, including one ex-soldier previously dismissed from service, BBC reported.
The African union condemned the attempted coup, calling any military interference in governance a serious violation of its principles. ECOWAS pledged support for Benin and authorized a regional troop deployment, including forces from Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Ivory Coast, and Ghana. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres also criticized the coup, noting it posed a threat to regional stability.
(UNI)
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