Benin President Patrice Talon on Thursday said the majority of the army did not back the foiled coup attempt on December 7, which involved young trainee soldiers.
“No significant segment of the army joined this attempted coup,” Talon told reporters in Cotonou, stressing that the incident, which led to several deaths, was quickly neutralised with support from Nigeria and France.
Several mutineers, including the alleged leader, Lieutenant Colonel Pascal Tigri, remain at large, while about 30 people, mostly military personnel, have been detained and face prosecution for “treason,” “murder,” and “attack on state security.”
Talon clarified that the event was “not a coup d’état but an attack,” noting the lack of popular support or involvement from the majority of the National Guard. He said the mutineers recruited young soldiers from the Togbin training base without the command or sub-command’s knowledge.
He described the coup plotters as “thugs, small-scale terrorists encouraged by some political actors on the margins and outside.”
Referring to the intervention, Talon said, “Nigeria carried out two strikes at our request, within the framework of ECOWAS, to avoid loss of life. If we had used our own weapons, there would have been damage.” He praised ECOWAS for condemning the attack and emphasised that political disagreements should never encourage attempts to overthrow a government.
Talon also noted that Tigri left the camp in civilian clothes, while other putschists crossed borders. Benin authorities are coordinating with neighbouring countries to secure their return.
