Blitz Bureau
NEW DELHI: AFTER a failed coup in Benin its alleged leader has sought refuge in neighbouring Togo, Beninese government officials told Reuters on December 10, demanding his immediate extradition.
A dispute between the two small West African nations over Colonel Pascal Tigri and his alleged accomplices would risk deepening diplomatic divisions in West Africa, which has struggled to respond in a uniform way to a spate of coups in recent years.
Soldiers briefly took control of Benin’s state television station on December 7 morning and claimed they had deposed President Patrice Talon, but Benin’s armed forces, backed by Nigerian firepower and French intelligence and logistical support, thwarted the attempt. The soldiers identified Tigri as the coup leader. His whereabouts had previously been unknown.
One of the Beninese officials said Tigri and others allegedly involved in the coup attempt were said to be hiding out in a neighbourhood of the Togolese capital Lome known as Lome 2 that also houses the residence of the country’s longtime leader Faure Gnassingbe.
“If the Togolese government does not extradite them to Benin, that will be proof that Togo was involved in the coup attempt,” the official said. The coup plotters attempted to seize Talon at his residence, and came close enough for Talon to witness violent clashes first-hand, a Benin government statement said. They also kidnapped two senior military officials who were later released. A Benin government spokesperson, Wilfried Leandre Houngbedji, said that 14 people had been arrested in connection with the coup attempt.
