Benin nearly fell under military rule last weekend. Men in fatigues attempted to overthrow President Patrice Talon on Sunday. But the operation failed, thanks to the intervention of loyalist forces and the Nigerian army, which was called in to assist.

Act 1 of the plan: Kidnap or neutralize high-ranking army officers

Yesterday, Monday, December 9, an extraordinary cabinet meeting was held under the chairmanship of Patrice Talon. The session was expanded to include ministerial advisors and the high military command. The agenda focused primarily on the events of Sunday, December 7.

The key takeaway from the government spokesperson's statement is that the mutineers "had planned to remove the President of the Republic from office, to subjugate the institutions of the Republic and to challenge the established constitutional order."

To achieve this, they initially attempted to neutralize or kidnap certain general and senior army officers. Around 2 a.m., they went to the home of General Bertin Bada, the director of President Talon's military cabinet. He managed to escape, but they fatally wounded his wife.

Having been informed of the mutineers' actions, the military command requested support from the Togbin military base to rescue General Bada. However, the base's lack of urgency led to an order for its commander, Colonel Faizou Gomina, to go to Mr. Bada's residence. Upon arrival, Mr. Bada was assaulted and taken hostage.

Meanwhile, the focus shifted to the home of General Abou Issa, Chief of Staff of the Army, "who put up fierce resistance to the mutineers" before being "kidnapped later by a team supposedly sent as reinforcements."

Act 2 of the plan: seize control of Patrice Talon

It was at this point that the military command received confirmation that the mutiny originated from the Togbin military base. Around 5 a.m., these determined soldiers went to the president's residence where the Republican Guard was waiting for them, ready to stand firm.

"A fierce battle ensued, as the mutineers were determined to control the situation in order to seize the person of the President of the Republic. He, alongside members of the Republican Guard, witnessed the violent clashes firsthand, with casualties on both sides, until the assailants, overwhelmed by the fierce resistance of the loyal soldiers, retreated."

But as they did not want to admit defeat, they occupied the premises of the national television station, which they controlled for a time, making a statement that was played on a loop.

In this statement, they announced the removal of Mr. Talon and the installation of a military committee for refounding, chaired by Lieutenant-Colonel Pascal Tigri.

Checkmate

Later, these mutineers were driven from the area by loyalist forces. In their flight, they abandoned some of their men who were immediately arrested.

The situation was thought to be under control, but these soldiers were absolutely not ready to surrender. They opened another front at the Togbin military base where they still had armored vehicles.

Loyalist forces mobilized very quickly and surrounded the base. They were ready to launch an assault, but since the base was located in a residential area, President Talon and the military command decided against authorizing heavy weapons fire. They feared that such clashes would cause collateral damage among the civilian population.

The situation still required intervention. They then decided to carry out surgical airstrikes. That's how the Nigerian army came into play.

Its fighter jets carried out strikes on the base at the end of the day, which disabled some armored vehicles.

"The last attackers, having witnessed the preparatory maneuvers, fled. Control of the base was then regained."

This military installation is currently occupied by "an ECOWAS standby force composed of Nigerian soldiers who arrived overnight from Sunday to Monday to support the efforts of the Republican Army. Similarly, also within the framework of sub-regional cooperation, a special force arrived from Ivory Coast at the same end of the day on Sunday to position itself in Cotonou in preparation for further actions if necessary."

The last attackers, including Lieutenant-Colonel Pascal Tigri, are still at large. The Chief of Staff of the Army, General Abou Issa, and Colonel Faizou Gomina have already been released.