Security forces in Benin are pursuing soldiers behind Sunday’s failed coup attempt, as two senior officers who were seized during the mutiny have reportedly been freed, a government source told the BBC. It remains unclear how they were released or whether other hostages are still being held.
The manhunt follows chaotic scenes in the early hours of Sunday, when a group of soldiers appeared on national television to announce the suspension of the constitution and claim control of the country. Gunfire was heard around the presidential residence in Cotonou.
President Patrice Talon later declared the situation “totally under control”, praising loyalist troops for clearing the “last pockets of resistance”. In a televised address, the 67-year-old leader condemned the attempted takeover as “treachery” that would not go unpunished, and urged citizens to resume normal life.
Regional power Nigeria said it assisted in suppressing the mutiny, deploying fighter jets that helped “dislodge the coup plotters” from the national broadcaster and a military camp after a request from Benin’s government. Shortly afterwards, large explosions were heard in Cotonou, believed to have been the result of an air strike. Flight-tracking data showed three aircraft entering Benin’s airspace from Nigeria shortly before returning.
Authorities have not confirmed casualties. Talon offered condolences to “victims of this senseless adventure” and to any still held by fugitive rebels.
Government spokesperson Wilfried Leandre Houngbedji said 14 people had been arrested. Journalists in Benin told the BBC that 12 of those detained were believed to have stormed the national TV station, including a dismissed soldier. The mutineers claimed to be led by Lt Col Pascal Tigri, whose whereabouts remain unknown.
The rebels justified their actions by accusing Talon of mismanaging the country and ignoring worsening insecurity in northern Benin, where jihadist militants linked to Islamic State and al-Qaeda have pushed south from Niger and Burkina Faso. They also criticised cuts to public health services, tax increases and restrictions on political activity.
Benin, a former French colony long seen as one of West Africa’s more stable democracies, has suffered a rise in militant attacks near its northern border in recent years. Talon, a wealthy businessman nicknamed the “king of cotton”, is expected to step down next year after completing two terms, with elections due in April. He has endorsed Finance Minister Romuald Wadagni as his preferred successor.
While supporters credit Talon with economic reforms, critics accuse his government of suppressing dissent. In October, the main opposition candidate was barred from running over insufficient sponsorships. Last month, MPs approved constitutional amendments creating a new Senate and extending terms for elected officials from five to seven years, though presidential term limits remain unchanged.
The attempted coup comes just over a week after Guinea-Bissau’s President Umaro Sissoco Embaló was overthrown in contested circumstances, adding to a wave of recent military takeovers in Burkina Faso, Guinea, Mali and Niger. Several pro-Russian accounts online praised the attempted seizure of power in Benin, BBC Monitoring reported.