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The soldiers calling themselves the Committee for Refoundation
stormed the national television station early Sunday morning.
Led by Benin army officer Lt. Col. Pascal Tigri, eight soldiers
appeared in a broadcast announcing the removal of President
Patrice Talon, dissolution of the government and suspension of
all state institutions.
By Sunday afternoon, the coup was foiled by Benin's military,
supported by Nigerian air and ground forces, which launched a
series of attacks against fleeing mutineers. At least a dozen
soldiers were arrested while others remained at large Monday.
Tigri's whereabouts were not known.
Talon described the coup late Sunday as a “senseless adventure”
and said the situation was under control. He vowed to punish
mutineers and ensure the safety of hostages, including some
believed to be senior military officers. He did not disclose
their identities or the number of casualties and hostages.
United Nations Secretary General António Guterres on Sunday
condemned the attempted coup, saying it would “further threaten
the stability of the region.”
Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu praised Nigeria's armed forces
for standing “as a defender and protector of constitutional
order in the Republic of Benin on the invitation of the
government.”
The Economic Community of West African States, the organization
representing the regional bloc of nations, said Sunday it had
deployed a standby force to Benin to help preserve democracy.
The troops included personnel from Nigeria, Ghana, Ivory Coast
and Sierra Leone. The size of the force remains unclear.
Calm returned Monday to Cotonou, Benin's administrative center,
after sporadic gunshots were heard across the city throughout
Sunday, but there a heavy presence of soldiers remained on the
streets.
Despite a history of coups following its independence from
France in 1960, the tiny country has enjoyed uninterrupted
democratic rule in the past two decades.
The attempted coup is the latest in a spate of coups that have
rocked West Africa since 2020. Soldiers seized power last month
in Guinea-Bissau after disputed election results, following
Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, Chad, Guinea and Gabon among the
countries that have experienced similar takeovers in the past
five years.
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