Hunt for conspirators and their hostages after Nigeria intervenes

Benin security forces are searching for soldiers who tried to seize power on Sunday morning and the president said they had taken an unspecified number of hostages.

Coup plotters appeared on state television to announce they had taken over, and gunfire rang out near the presidential palace.

However, President Patrice Talon later declared that the situation in the West African country was “fully under control”.

Regional power Nigeria helped thwart the rebellion, saying its fighter jets helped “evict the coup plotters from state television and military camps” at the request of Benin’s government.

On Sunday afternoon, a huge explosion was heard in Cotonou, Benin’s largest city and seat of government. They are believed to be the result of air strikes.

Before the explosion, flight tracking data showed that three aircraft entered Benin airspace from neighboring Nigeria and then returned to Benin.

The extent of the damage is unclear.

Earlier on Sunday, Benin government spokesman Wilfried Leandre Houngbedji told Reuters that 14 people had been arrested in connection with the attempted coup.

A journalist in Benin also told the BBC that 12 of those reportedly arrested were believed to have stormed the offices of the state television station, including a soldier who had previously been fired.

The coup plotters said they were led by Lieutenant Colonel Pascal Tigli, but his whereabouts are unknown.

The 67-year-old president said in an address to the nation on Sunday night that loyalist troops had “cleared out the last pockets of resistance held by the rebels”.

He added: “This commitment and mobilization allows us to defeat these opportunists and avert catastrophe for our country. This betrayal will not go unpunished.”

“I want to assure you that the situation is completely under control, so please go about your business calmly.”

It was unclear if there were any casualties, but the president expressed his condolences “to the victims of this senseless adventure, and to those who remain held by the fleeing rebels.”

Sunday’s failed coup in Benin follows a series of coups in West Africa, fueling concerns that security in the region could worsen.

Benin is a former French colony and is considered one of the more stable democracies in Africa. But Tyrone faces accusations of suppressing criticism of his policies.

The country is one of the largest cotton producers on the African continent but is also one of the poorest in the world.

Benin’s big neighbor to the east, Nigeria, described the coup as a “direct attack on democracy”.

The French and Russian embassies on Sunday urged their citizens to stay indoors, while the U.S. embassy advised staying away from Cotonou, especially the area around the presidential palace.

Rebel soldiers defended their actions by criticizing Talon’s management of the country, first complaining about his handling of “the continuing deterioration of the security situation in northern Benin.”

Benin army suffers losses near northern border Niger and Burkina Faso have been hit by insurgency attacks in recent years as jihadist militants linked to Islamic State and al-Qaida spread southward.

The soldiers’ statement noted “the ignorance and neglect of the plight of our fallen comrades on the front lines and, above all, the tragic fate of their families abandoned by the policies of Mr. Patrice Talon”.

The rebels also lashed out at cuts to health care, including the elimination of state-funded kidney dialysis, higher taxes and restrictions on political activity.

Talon, seen as a close ally of the West, will resign after completing his second term next year, with elections scheduled for April.

The businessman known as the “King of Cotton” first came to power in 2016 and endorsed Finance Minister Romuald Wadagni as his successor.

Tallon has been praised by supporters for overseeing economic development, but his government has also been criticized for stifling dissent.

In October, Benin’s electoral commission banned the main opposition candidate from running on the grounds that he did not have enough supporters.

Last month, lawmakers passed a constitutional amendment that includes the creation of a second chamber, the Senate.

The terms of elected officials were extended from five to seven years, but the president’s two-term limit remained in place.

Sunday’s attempted coup came a week after Guinea-Bissau’s President Oumaro Sissoko Embalo was overthrown, although some regional figures have questioned whether it was a coup.

In recent years, coups have also occurred in Burkina Faso, Guinea, Mali, Niger and other countries in West Africa, raising concerns about the stability of the region.

In recent years, Russia has strengthened its ties with these Sahel countries, and Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger have also left the West African regional group ECOWAS to form their own organization, the Alliance of Sahel States.

Multiple pro-Russian social media accounts welcomed news of Benin’s attempted takeover, BBC Monitoring reported.

ECOWAS and the African Union (AU) both condemned the coup attempt.