How Nigeria Saved the Ruling Regime in Benin Part I: The Attempted Coup in Benin |
One of the most recent attempts in a series of coups that have swept across West Africa in recent years was the seizure of power in Benin—a country until recently regarded as a bastion of democracy on the continent.
They declared Lieutenant Colonel Pascal Tigri, commander of a special forces unit within the National Guard, as the new head of state, replacing Patrice Talon. The soldiers provided the following justification for their actions: the security situation in the country’s north, where terrorist organisations have been increasingly active, has sharply deteriorated; the authorities have neglected the families of soldiers killed fighting terrorists, together with numerous cases of unjustified promotions within the military taking place.
In the same televised address, an MCR representative stated that the army solemnly pledges to give the people of Benin hope for ushering in a new era of development, where brotherhood, justice, and hard work will reign supreme.
However, the course of events later that day showed these vows were not destined to be fulfilled. The majority of the army refrained from joining the coup, whose leaders had recruited mainly new conscripts to carry it out. An attempt by the rebels to seize the presidential residence was repelled. According to a colonel of the Beninese army who led its defense, cited by The Defense Post, the rebel’s attack embraced around 100 servicemen taking part in it.
By midday on December 7, the coup, with the death toll of 12, had been suppressed with the support of Nigeria and France, as reported by Africa Daily. As far as the leader of the failed coup, Lieutenant Colonel Pascal Tigri, is concerned, representatives of the Beninese government, when asked about him by a Reuters correspondent on December 10, responded that he and a number of his accomplices had gone into hiding in Lomé 2, a district of the Togolese capital.
During the subsequent investigation, opposition party leader Candide Azannaï of the “Restoring Hope” party was arrested on December 12, 2025, on charges of plotting a coup and inciting rebellion. Azannaï had served as deputy defense minister in Patrice Talon’s government from 2016 to 2017.
Chabi Yayi, head........