Benin coup leader flees to neighbouring country

The army officer who led the coup in the Republic of Benin, Pascal Tigri, fled to Togo on Sunday to seek refuge.

BBC reports that the officials of the Beninese government disclosed that Mr Tigri had fled after the coup to oust President Patrice Talon failed.

The officials also disclosed that the government is aware of Mr Tigri’s current location and plans to submit a request for Mr Tigri’s extradition.

“We don’t know how to explain this, but we will make an official extradition request and see how the Togolese authorities will react,” the BBC quoted an official as saying.

Last Sunday, a group of soldiers, who called themselves the “Military Committee for Refoundation” (CMR), appeared on the state television to declare a takeover of the government.

The soldiers were led by Mr Tigri, who was also appointed president of the military committee.

hey claimed to have met and decided that President Patrice Talon “is removed from office as president of the republic.”

PREMIUM TIMES reported that the French Embassy in the country also disclosed that “gunfire was reported at Camp Guezo” near the president’s official residence.

Mr Talon later declared that the coup had been thwarted by loyal military troops in the country.

PREMIUM TIMES also reported  that the coup was foiled with support from the Nigerian Army and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).

The intervention from Nigeria came at the request of Mr Talon, who sought immediate military backing to stop the coup.

The head of Benin’s republican guard, Dieudonne Tevoedjre, also stated that French special forces helped thwart the coup.

He told AFP news agency that French special forces were sent from [Ivory Coast’s main city] Abidjan, and used for “mopping up operations after the Beninese army had done the job.”

He also noted that Benin’s troops were “truly valiant and faced the enemy all day” on Sunday.

ECOWAS had earlier condemned the coup, calling it a subversion of constitutional order.

Although Togo is a member of ECOWAS, it has yet to comment on the extradition of Mr Tigri back to Benin.

Although there are reports Mr Tigri has fled from Togo to Burkina Faso, that could not be verified at the time of this report.

Benin had earlier declared Mr Tigri wanted alongside two other soldiers — Ousmane Samary and Sambieni Castro — who were also part of fhe coup.