A senior government official in Benin has told the BBC that the leader of Sunday's failed coup is taking refuge in neighbouring Togo. Speaking on condition of anonymity, the official said that the government would request Lt Col Pascal Tigri's extradition. Togo's government has not yet commented.
The failed coup came after a series of military takeovers in West Africa, raising concern that democracy is increasingly under threat in the region. It was thwarted after regional power Nigeria sent fighter jets to dislodge the mutineers from a military base and the offices of state TV following a request from President Patrice Talon's government.
A group of soldiers appeared on state TV early on Sunday to announce they had seized power, and gunfire was heard near the presidential residence. French special forces also helped loyalist troops to thwart the coup, the head of Benin's republican guard, which is in charge of protecting the president, told AFP news agency.
Dieudonne Djimon Tevoedjre said Benin's troops were truly valiant and faced the enemy all day on Sunday. The government official indicated they knew that Lt Col Pascal Tigri was in Togo's capital, Lomé, in the same area where President Faure Gnassingbé lives. The official went on to say, We don't know how to explain this but we will make an official extradition request and see how the Togolese authorities will react.
Togo is part of the West African regional bloc, Ecowas, which condemned the attempted coup. Ecowas has deployed troops from Nigeria, Ghana, Sierra Leone, and Ivory Coast to secure key installations in Benin, signaling their unwillingness to allow civilian governments to fall without resistance.
Benin, once seen as one of Africa's more stable democracies, has faced rising tensions. The soldiers behind the coup cited dissatisfaction with President Talon’s management, particularly regarding the security situation in northern Benin, where jihadist militants have been active.
Talon, a businessman known as the king of cotton, has been in power since 2016 and will step down next year after completing his second term. The attempted coup illustrates the troubling trends in West Africa, as military uprisings have become increasingly common in recent years.
The failed coup came after a series of military takeovers in West Africa, raising concern that democracy is increasingly under threat in the region. It was thwarted after regional power Nigeria sent fighter jets to dislodge the mutineers from a military base and the offices of state TV following a request from President Patrice Talon's government.
A group of soldiers appeared on state TV early on Sunday to announce they had seized power, and gunfire was heard near the presidential residence. French special forces also helped loyalist troops to thwart the coup, the head of Benin's republican guard, which is in charge of protecting the president, told AFP news agency.
Dieudonne Djimon Tevoedjre said Benin's troops were truly valiant and faced the enemy all day on Sunday. The government official indicated they knew that Lt Col Pascal Tigri was in Togo's capital, Lomé, in the same area where President Faure Gnassingbé lives. The official went on to say, We don't know how to explain this but we will make an official extradition request and see how the Togolese authorities will react.
Togo is part of the West African regional bloc, Ecowas, which condemned the attempted coup. Ecowas has deployed troops from Nigeria, Ghana, Sierra Leone, and Ivory Coast to secure key installations in Benin, signaling their unwillingness to allow civilian governments to fall without resistance.
Benin, once seen as one of Africa's more stable democracies, has faced rising tensions. The soldiers behind the coup cited dissatisfaction with President Talon’s management, particularly regarding the security situation in northern Benin, where jihadist militants have been active.
Talon, a businessman known as the king of cotton, has been in power since 2016 and will step down next year after completing his second term. The attempted coup illustrates the troubling trends in West Africa, as military uprisings have become increasingly common in recent years.
