Benin Arrests Dozen Soldiers Over Coup Attempt
In a move aimed at maintaining stability, authorities in Benin have arrested over a dozen soldiers suspected of involvement in an attempted military coup.
According to reports from the African Union (AU), who 'unequivocally condemned' the attempt, the coup plotters had attempted to destabilize the country and its institutions. The West African ECOWAS bloc also condemned the attempt stating that it would support efforts by the government to restore order.
Details of how the coup was foiled are still coming in but from what can be gathered, a group of soldiers – allegedly led by Lieutenant Colonel Pascal Tigri – appeared on state television claiming to have removed President Patrice Talon from power. However they did not take control of either the presidential offices or Patrice Talon's residence.
Access to both remain unimpeded according to reports. Several areas including international institutions in Cotonou are also restricted by soldiers, but airport access has been left open and residents seem unaware of the disturbance caused by the attempted coup.
President Patrice Talon is believed safe although his whereabouts have not been made public yet.
The news comes as a third African country faces an attempted military takeover within just three months. The coup attempt marks a departure from Benin's years-long stability which was seen during Mathieu Kerekou's two-decade rule following independence in 1960.
Benin is bordered by Niger and Burkina Faso, both of whom have experienced their own share of military takeovers recently.
In a move aimed at maintaining stability, authorities in Benin have arrested over a dozen soldiers suspected of involvement in an attempted military coup.
According to reports from the African Union (AU), who 'unequivocally condemned' the attempt, the coup plotters had attempted to destabilize the country and its institutions. The West African ECOWAS bloc also condemned the attempt stating that it would support efforts by the government to restore order.
Details of how the coup was foiled are still coming in but from what can be gathered, a group of soldiers – allegedly led by Lieutenant Colonel Pascal Tigri – appeared on state television claiming to have removed President Patrice Talon from power. However they did not take control of either the presidential offices or Patrice Talon's residence.
Access to both remain unimpeded according to reports. Several areas including international institutions in Cotonou are also restricted by soldiers, but airport access has been left open and residents seem unaware of the disturbance caused by the attempted coup.
President Patrice Talon is believed safe although his whereabouts have not been made public yet.
The news comes as a third African country faces an attempted military takeover within just three months. The coup attempt marks a departure from Benin's years-long stability which was seen during Mathieu Kerekou's two-decade rule following independence in 1960.
Benin is bordered by Niger and Burkina Faso, both of whom have experienced their own share of military takeovers recently.
It's like they thought the whole "military coup" thing was a reality show or something 
. And of course, airport access is still open because priorities, right? Can't have the tourists getting in on the drama. I guess it's back to business as usual for Benin... and probably the soldiers too, after their little try at fame and fortune ends up being a total flop 
... like, what's the point of even having a military if they're just gonna try to stage a coup, right? And now Benin is dealing with this drama and I'm sure it's only a matter of time before something similar happens again in one of their neighboring countries. Niger and Burkina Faso have already had their share of problems, so why would anyone think that Benin is safe from this kind of thing? 
The fact that they're able to keep the airport open and access to President Talon's residence unimpeded just highlights how messy and confusing this whole situation is. And what about all the details we don't know? I'm sure there are plenty of soldiers involved, but who knows how many or where they all are now? 
It's like, why bother even reporting on it if you can't get to the bottom of things?
and it got me thinking about how some animals are way more intelligent than humans in certain ways. like, have you ever seen a bird build its nest? it's like architecture or something! anyway, back to benin... hope president patrice talon gets through this okay 
, I mean can't imagine trying to pull off a coup with everyone knowing what's going on 
! Authorities stepping up to maintain stability 
and the African Union is all over it too 
. Coup plotters must've been expecting some pushback from ECOWAS 
. Not sure how they managed to stop the coup without things getting out of hand 
, guess that's why we can't know more about President Talon's whereabouts yet 
. This is actually kinda alarming with another country trying a coup in just 3 months 
, gotta wonder if there's something deeper going on beneath the surface 
...
you know how it is when things start to get too close to home for them, they gotta take drastic measures?