Beninese President Patrice Talon has confirmed that Lieutenant-Colonel Pascal Tigri, the alleged ringleader of a failed coup attempt, successfully fled the country with several co-conspirators and is now believed to be in a neighbouring state, intensifying diplomatic efforts to secure their return.
In an address to the press on Thursday, Talon detailed the aftermath of the December 7 putsch attempt, in which Tigri and a group of mutinous soldiers briefly seized state television and claimed the dissolution of constitutional order before security forces, backed by international partners, including Nigeria, swiftly regained control. “No significant segment of the army joined” the mutiny, Talon said, underscoring that the bulk of the military remained loyal to the constitutional government.
According to government sources, Tigri and his henchmen fled to Togo’s capital, Lomé, where they are reportedly hiding. Beninese authorities have formally requested their extradition, urging the “relevant countries” to cooperate in returning the alleged putschists to face justice. “If the Togolese government does not extradite them,” a Beninese official said earlier, “that will be the proof that Togo was involved in the coup attempt.”
President Talon also provided new insights into exchanges with Tigri during the crisis, revealing that at one point in the standoff he and the head of the republican guard spoke with Tigri by phone as events unfolded at the Togbin military camp in Cotonou. Tigri had left the camp in civilian clothing as the mutiny collapsed, Talon explained.
The failed coup shook one of West Africa’s most stable democracies, coming amid a regional backdrop of political unrest where several neighbours, including Niger and Burkina Faso, have experienced successful coups in recent years. Investigators are also probing possible external links to the coup attempt, with some analysts noting that regional military alliances like the Alliance of Sahel States may have had interests in destabilising Benin.
Since the foiled attempt, security operations have intensified. At least 30 people—mostly military personnel—have been jailed on charges including treason, murder and attacks on state security, according to government sources.
President Talon has emphasised that the coup “was not a coup d’état but an attack,” seeking to reassure the populace and international partners that democratic institutions remain firmly in place. Nigeria and France, among others, provided critical support to loyalist forces during the crisis, with Nigerian jets and French logistical assistance helping to dislodge mutineers.
