Coup attempt thwarted in Benin Republic, presidency says govt forces have regained control
The government of Benin Republic said on Sunday that its armed forces had foiled a coup attempt after a group of soldiers declared on national television that they had seized power.
This is happening in a country whose neighbours like Niger, Burkina Faso, Mali, Guinea and Guinea-Bissau have in recent years witnessed hostile regime change by the military, with that of Guinea-Bissau happening just last month.
A group of soldiers had gone on national television on Sunday morning to announce power seizure by a military committee led by Colonel Tigri Pascal, who consequently suspended the constitution and shut the country’s borders.
“The army solemnly commits to give the Beninese people the hope of a truly new era, where fraternity, justice and work prevail,” one of the soldiers announced.
A few hours later, the Interior Minister Alassane Seidou said in a statement that the country’s armed forces had foiled the attempted coup and regained control of power.
“Therefore, the government urges the population to go about their business as usual,” he added.
The Beninese Foreign Minister Olushegun Adjadi Bakari had earlier said that while a small group of soldiers had attempted to overthrow the government, the forces loyal to President Patrice Talon were working to restore order, adding that the coup plotters had only managed to take control of the state TV.
The development is coming at a time when the country was preparing for a presidential election in April that would mark the end of the tenure of the incumbent President, who has been in power since 2016.
The coup plotters had mentioned during their broadcast on TV, the deteriorating security situation in the north of Benin “coupled with the disregard and neglect of our fallen brothers-in-arms”.
While President Talon had been praised for certain policies which have resulted in economic growth, the country had also witnessed several attacks by Jihadist militants, with 54 soldiers killed in an attack in the north of Benin by an affiliate of Al Qaeda.
In what critics consider a power grab by the ruling coalition, Benin had in November adopted a new constitution that extended the tenure of the President from five to seven years, with the coalition nominating the Finance Minister Romuald Wadagni as its candidate.
