Benin’s government said its armed forces had foiled an attempted coup Sunday after a small group of soldiers briefly seized control of state television and announced they had taken power.
At least eight soldiers, several wearing helmets, appeared on national TV in the early hours to say a military committee led by Colonel Tigri Pascal had dissolved national institutions, suspended the constitution and closed the country’s air, land and maritime borders. “The army solemnly commits to give the Beninese people the hope of a truly new era, where fraternity, justice and work prevail,” one soldier read on air. “Therefore, the government urges the population to go about their business as usual,” he added.
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Foreign Minister Olushegun Adjadi Bakari said the action involved “a small group” and that forces loyal to President Patrice Talon were working to restore order. Bakari said the plotters had managed to take only state television.
Gunfire was reported in several neighborhoods of Cotonou, the country’s largest city and economic hub, as residents made their way to church early Sunday. The French embassy posted on Facebook that shots were heard near Talon’s residence in Cotonou and urged citizens to stay at home.
The attempted takeover came amid rising regional instability: the West African Sahel has seen a string of coups in recent years in neighboring Niger, Burkina Faso and Mali, and more recent takeovers in Guinea and Guinea-Bissau. Benin itself has faced mounting security challenges in its north, where jihadist groups allied with regional networks have carried out deadly attacks.
In April, the Beninese government said 54 soldiers were killed in an attack in the north by an affiliate of al-Qaida, an assault that officials said highlighted acute gaps in the country’s security posture.
Political tensions have also intensified ahead of a presidential election scheduled for April, which would mark the scheduled end of Talon’s second term in office. Last month Benin adopted a new constitution that extended the presidential mandate from five to seven years, a move critics called a power grab by the ruling coalition. The coalition has nominated Finance Minister Romuald Wadagni as its candidate.
The opposition Democrats party, founded by former President Thomas Boni Yayi, saw its proposed candidate rejected after a court ruled there was insufficient backing from lawmakers.
Authorities did not immediately provide a full accounting of arrests or whether any senior officers were implicated. Security forces have been deployed around key government installations in Cotonou, and the government has said it will provide further information as investigations continue.
The attempted coup marks the latest test of democratic institutions in a country that has been viewed as a model of stability in the region, even as it grapples with the twin pressures of insurgency and contested politics.
By Abdiwahab Ahmed
Axadle Times international–Monitoring.
