The attempted coup d’état in the Republic of Benin, led by Lieutenant Colonel Pascal Tigri, appears to have collapsed, transitioning into a localized military confrontation.
Reports indicate that the final holdouts of the mutinous soldiers are barricaded inside Tignon Barracks near Cotonou, leading to a volatile situation marked by explosions and sporadic gunfire.
The government swiftly countered the takeover, which began with an attack on President Patrice Talon’s residence and a brief broadcast by Lt. Col. Tigri on national television, where he declared the dissolution of the government and the suspension of the constitution.
Hours later, Interior Minister Alassane Seidou confirmed that the coup had been “foiled,” stating that the Beninese Armed Forces, loyal to the republican order, maintained control.
The government confirmed at least 14 people, including 12 active-duty soldiers, have been arrested.
Lt. Col. Tigri, the alleged ringleader, is now reportedly on the run and being hunted by Beninese authorities.
Local informants near Tignon Barracks reported seeing several mutinous officers hurriedly stripping off their uniforms and changing into civilian clothes in a desperate effort to evade capture, confirming the collapse of the operation.
The Tignon Barracks, located about six kilometres from the Cotonou airport, has become the last known refuge for a group of plotters refusing to surrender.
Residents reported hearing blasts and bursts of automatic fire around the barracks well into the afternoon.
“A group of coup leaders are said to have taken refuge and barricaded themselves in these barracks, while Lieutenant Colonel Tigri (the leader of the coup) is reportedly on the run and being hunted by the Beninese authorities,” Casus Belli, an investigator has revealed..
“Some of the soldiers in Tignon are said to be changing into civilian clothes in order to flee and escape the local authorities.”
Earlier, Belli tweeted that “three unidentified aircraft (including a military transport aircraft) were spotted on flight radar arriving in Cotonou”.
“Two of the unidentified aircraft came from Nigeria. The transport aircraft came from Ivory Coast,” Belli tweeted
Security analysts suggest that this localized violence indicates loyalist units are attempting to dislodge the desperate holdouts barricaded inside the facility.
Soldiers without insignia were seen darting through nearby streets, attempting to find informal exit routes.
In swift response to the destabilization of a country long considered a democratic anchor in the region, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the African Union (AU) issued strong condemnations of the attempted mutiny.
ECOWAS pledged to “support the government and people of Benin by all necessary means,” including the potential deployment of its regional standby force.
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