Benin Frees Hostage Officers After Failed Coup

Two senior military officers in Benin who were taken captive during a coup attempt were freed early on Monday, just one day after the government announced it had prevented the takeover with assistance from Nigerian forces.

Cotonou, the economic centre of Benin, appeared peaceful, and traffic began to return to normal after a group of soldiers declared on national television the previous day that they had deposed the president.

In a television broadcast later on Sunday, President Patrice Talon reassured the nation that the situation was “completely under control.”

Talon, 67, is set to relinquish power in April after serving two terms as leader of the West African nation, which has faced increasing insurgent activity in the northern regions in recent years.

This coup attempt comes in the wake of a series of military takeovers across West Africa, including in Niger, Burkina Faso, Mali, Guinea, and, most recently, in Guinea-Bissau last month.

The Beninese government quickly called for assistance from its neighbour, Nigeria, which announced late on Sunday that it had conducted military strikes in Cotonou and deployed troops to the country.

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has also pledged military support for Benin and will convene in Abidjan on Monday. The bloc had threatened to intervene during the coup in Niger earlier in 2023, but ultimately chose not to act.

According to two military sources, the two senior officers who were captured during the coup attempt were released overnight from Sunday to Monday. Chief of Army Staff Abou Issa and Colonel Faizou Gomina, the army chief, were freed near the National Guard’s base in Cotonou.

As of Monday, it remained unclear how many individuals participated in the coup attempt or how many were still missing.

In his address late Sunday, Talon said the country had “stood firm” and “cleared the last pockets of resistance”.

“This treachery will not go unpunished,” he said, while military sources said that around a dozen soldiers had been arrested.

Benin Frees Hostage Officers After Failed Coup

A source familiar with the situation reported that the coup’s leader, Lieutenant Colonel Pascal Tigri, is currently at large.

More military tanks were also spotted in various locations throughout Cotonou, and although several roads remained closed, others had reopened.

The Economic Community of West African States announced that troops from Ghana, the Ivory Coast, Nigeria, and Sierra Leone were being sent to Benin to assist the government in maintaining “constitutional order.” The regional body, along with the United Nations, former colonial power France, and the African Union, condemned the coup attempt.

According to the constitution of Benin, Talon is ineligible to seek a third term, but his chosen successor, Finance Minister Romuald Wadagni, is viewed as the frontrunner for the upcoming presidential election in April.

The main opposition party has been barred from the ballot because its candidate lacks sufficient sponsors.

While Talon has been praised for fostering economic growth, critics denounce his authoritarian tendencies in a country once celebrated for its democratic vitality.