About 30 individuals, mostly soldiers, have been jailed in Benin Republic over their alleged involvement in a failed coup earlier this month, sources told AFP.
On December 7, a group of soldiers appeared on national television declaring that President Patrice Talon had been deposed.
The attempted takeover was swiftly crushed by loyalist forces, with support from the Nigerian Air Force and French special forces. Several people were killed, while the alleged coup leader, Lieutenant-Colonel Pascal Tigri, and other mutinous soldiers remain at large.
The accused appeared before a special prosecutor at the Court for Economic Crimes and Terrorism in Cotonou on Monday and were placed in pre-trial detention the following day. They face serious charges, including treason, murder, and endangering state security, with heavy security deployed around the courthouse.
Separately, Chabi Yayi, the son of former Beninese president and opposition figure Thomas Boni Yayi, was released after questioning but remains under investigation for his alleged connection to the coup attempt.
President Talon, widely credited with driving economic growth in Benin, has faced criticism over what some describe as authoritarian tendencies.
He is scheduled to leave office in April after completing the constitutionally permitted two terms.
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