Benin Republic Reports Casualties on Both Sides Due to Brief Coup
Nigerian troops and jets assisted in thwarting a coup attempt by mutinying soldiers, and Benin admits deaths on both sides.
For the first time since the attempted coup on Sunday, Benin’s president, Patrice Talon, met with cabinet ministers on Monday night.
The administration acknowledged that Nigerian fighter aircraft’ airstrikes prevented mutinying soldiers from attempting to overthrow the president. It claimed that both government forces and the rebellious troops suffered losses as a result of the brief coup.
Abuja already admitted to deploying ground troops and aircraft to assist in reestablishing order in its far smaller neighbor. Nigeria and Benin are both members of ECOWAS, the Economic Community of West African States.
According to political consultant Morgan Metondji Assogba, ECOWAS would have been eager to step in and stop a coup in Benin. “The current relationship between Benin and ECOWAS allows the latter to contribute to maintaining stability while, of course, respecting the principle of sovereignty,” he stated.
This is particularly true in light of the several recent coups in the West African region, Assogba continued. “Benin was supportive of its intervention, and it has undoubtedly learned from these experiences,” he stated.
Colonel Tigri Pascal, the leader of the coup, is still at large, but Benin’s security forces have stepped up their search for him. According to officials, other arrests have been made. According to officials, two high-ranking military officers who were taken captive by the coup plotters have also been freed.
According to a Nigerian government spokeswoman, Abuja’s seldom foreign military action resulted from Talon’s request for assistance. In light of its own security crisis, analysts claim that Nigeria has a strategic interest in protecting its borders, which it shares with Benin, Niger, Chad, and Cameroon.
Nigeria would be worried that the breakdown of governmental order in Benin may lead to illegal commerce, gun trafficking, and cross-border unrest, they noted.
Benin has seen comparatively quiet conditions during the last 20 years, despite a history of coups after gaining independence from France in 1960. As Talon gets ready to step down after ten years in office, the nation will elect a new president in April.
