Benin Republic Jails 30 Over Foiled Coup Attempt

Benin Republic, on Tuesday, jailed about 30 people, most of them soldiers, accused of involvement in a failed coup earlier this month, sources told AFP.

LEADERSHIP recalls that on December 7, soldiers appeared on national television claiming President Patrice Talon had been deposed.

The attempted putsch was quickly crushed by loyalist forces, with support from the Nigerian Air Force and French special forces. Several people were killed, and the alleged coup leader, Lieutenant-Colonel Pascal Tigri, along with other mutinous soldiers, remained on the run.

The accused appeared before a special prosecutor for the court for economic crimes and terrorism in Cotonou on Monday and were placed in pre-trial detention the following day.

They faced charges of “treason,” “murder,” and “endangering state security,” with heavy security deployed around the court.

Separately, Chabi Yayi, son of former Beninese president and opposition figure, Thomas Boni Yayi, was released after questioning but remains under investigation in connection with the coup bid.

President Talon, who has been credited with spurring economic growth, faces criticism over alleged authoritarianism. He is scheduled to leave office in April after completing the constitutionally allowed two terms in office.