Benin’s authorities say two high-ranking officers abducted during an attempted coup have been released, as order is gradually restored in Cotonou. The officers were freed overnight into Monday, a day after the government said it had thwarted the coup with support from neighbouring Nigeria.
Cotonou, the country’s economic hub, returned to calm, with traffic flowing normally. The city had been tense after soldiers briefly appeared on national TV Sunday, claiming to have removed President Patrice Talon from office. Talon later addressed the nation, saying the situation was “completely under control”. He is due to leave office in April after two terms.
Military sources identified the released officers as Chief of Army Staff Abou Issa and Colonel Faizou Gomina. They were freed near the National Guard headquarters, while about a dozen soldiers involved in the plot were arrested. The alleged ringleader, Lieutenant Colonel Pascal Tigri, is reportedly on the run.
Tanks were sighted stationed at key locations across the city, though some roads had reopened. Benin requested Nigerian military support, which reportedly carried out strikes around Cotonou. ECOWAS said troops from Ghana, Ivory Coast, Nigeria, and Sierra Leone were also being deployed to help preserve constitutional order.
The failed coup comes amid a wave of military takeovers across West Africa, including Niger, Burkina Faso, Mali, Guinea, and Guinea-Bissau. Benin, once a model of democracy, has faced rising political tension and northern jihadist violence.
Talon’s chosen successor, Finance Minister Romuald Wadagni, is a frontrunner in the April election, while the main opposition party has been disqualified.
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