By Njodzeka Danhatu
The President of Benin, Patrice Talon, has assured the country that order has been restored following an attempted military takeover on Sunday.
Talon, in a televised address to the nation Sunday night, said loyal forces thwarted the coup, which could have plunged the country into an unimaginable consequence.
He said some of the plotters have been arrested, while others are still on the run, but assured that hostages taken by the mutineers will be released.
Patrice Talon equally assured that the actions of the putchists will not go unpunished.
ECOWAS Deployed Troops
Benin is a member of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).
When a group of military officers calling itself the Military Committee for Refoundation, led by Lieutenant Colonel Pascal Tigri, announced on state TV on Sunday morning that they had deposed the president, ECOWAS immediately reacted.
In a communique, the bloc indicated that it would support constitutional order by whatever means, including military intervention.
After that, Nigerian jet fighters were deployed to Benin. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu said the deployment was responding to the request by the Benin government.
According to media reports in Nigeria, the fighter jets carried out precision strikes on coup plotters who were on the run. When order was restored, the fighter jets immediately withdrew.
However, this Monday morning, there were reports that ECOWAS ground forces from Ghana, Ivory Coast, and Sierra Leone had also been deployed. They are still reported in the capital.
At Least 13 Soldiers Arrested
Yesterday, authorities in Benin announced that a dozen soldiers linked to the coup have been arrested while Pascal Tigri is being hunted.
He was named leader of the CMR, or Military Committee for Refoundation. There were reports of gunshots in several places in the capital and also near the president’s residence.
However, no casualty has been reported, but some reports indicate that the manhunt was brutal, especially as the mutineers were being chased on land and air.
Alert Benin reported Monday morning that the residents of the Army Chief of Staff and that of the head of the national guards have been liberated. Both were held captive by the coup plotters.
How Yesterday’s Incident Unfolded
In the early hours of the Sunday, a group of soldiers took over the state TV STRB and declared that they had deposed President Patrice Talon, who had been in power since 2016.
The army faction said it had suspended the constitution and all institutions while also announcing the closure of land, sea, and air borders.
Following those events, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs released a statement that a larger part of the military was still loyal to President Patrice Talon. Not long from there, the Minister of Interior appeared on the same TV, stating that the coup had been foiled and the government had regained control, urging the population to go about their activities.
After that, there were reports of airstrikes and arrests in the capital. The government later put up a statement that the president was safe.
In the evening hours, Patrice Talon appeared on national TV, stating that the military thwarted what could have ended 37 years of democracy in the West African country.
Patrice Talon is expected to step down after the presidential election on April 12, 2026. He has been ruling since 2016. The election commission banned the main opposition party from contesting.
Latest Coup in Africa
Since 2020, coups have increasingly become popular in Africa. The latest are in Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, Guinea Conakry, Guinea-Bissau, Gabon, and Madagascar. All these were successful. However, they took place without any bloodshed.