Over 10 individuals were arrested in the West African nation of Benin last weekend following a coup attempt, but the leader, Lieutenant Colonel Pascal Tigri, remains at large. All hostages, including Army Chief of Staff Abou Issa and National Guard Chief of Staff Colonel Faizou Gomina, have been released.

"The exact number of people involved in the coup plot and those who have fled is yet to be determined. Many of them are believed to have escaped to rural areas, and the search continues", AFP reported on 8/12, citing military sources in Benin.

According to the government, violent clashes erupted between the coup plotters and the Republican Guard at President Patrice Talon's residence in Cotonou, resulting in casualties on both sides. The wife of General Bertin Bada, the President's military chief of staff, was among those killed.

Armored vehicles deployed at the entrance of a blocked road next to Benin's national television station in Cotonou on 8/12. *AFP*

On 7/12, a group of soldiers calling themselves the Benin Military Reconstruction Committee (CMR) appeared on television, stating they had met and decided to "depose Mr. Talon from the presidency".

Government Secretary General Edouard Ouin-Ouro stated that this small group of soldiers intended to neutralize or kidnap several senior military generals and officers. They staged a mutiny at Togbin base, kidnapping Mr. Gomina and Mr. Issa. The two commanders were later released in Tchaourou, a city over 350 km from Cotonou.

The coup was suppressed on 7/12. The military surrounded Togbin base, conducting precise airstrikes that did not endanger nearby areas. The Benin government received military support from the Nigerian army and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).

By the afternoon of 8/12, the situation had stabilized, and traffic returned to normal in Cotonou, the country's economic capital. While Benin's capital is Porto Novo, the government is headquartered in Cotonou. The road leading to the presidential palace remained blocked, and tanks were visible elsewhere in the city.

West and Central Africa have experienced numerous coups in recent years, with the latest occurring last month in Guinea-Bissau. ECOWAS announced that troops from Ghana, Ivory Coast, Nigeria, and Sierra Leone are being deployed to Benin to support the government in "maintaining constitutional order".

By Huyen Le (AFP)