Ex-minister arrested over failed African coup – media

Alassane Tigri has been detained after his brother attempted to oust Benin President Patrice Talon in December

Benin’s former sports minister and opposition figure Alassane Tigri has been placed in prison on charges of organizing a coup, La Nouvelle Tribune reported on Thursday. 

According to the news outlet, Tigri was arrested at his home in Cotonou on January 28 and detained pending trial by the Court for the Fight Against Economic Crimes and Terrorism.

Tigri, who is also vice president of the opposition party The Democrats, is the brother of Pascal Tigri, a lieutenant colonel identified as the leader of December’s failed coup. According to multiple news reports, Beninese authorities say Pascal Tigri is at large and believed to be hiding in Togo.

“The former member of the government is among the people prosecuted for facts classified, among other things, as ‘plot against the authority of the state’,” La Nouvelle Tribune reported citing judicial sources.

On December 7, a group of soldiers briefly seized control of the state broadcaster in Cotonou and announced President Patrice Talon’s removal, the suspension of the constitution, and the dissolution of state institutions. They appointed Colonel Pascal Tigri to lead the short-lived administration, which they called the Military Committee for Refoundation.

READ MORE: Dozens detained in Benin for plotting coup – media

Benin’s government said the attempt was quickly suppressed with the support of the national armed forces and Nigerian partners. The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) ordered a standby force to support Benin’s army in preserving constitutional order.

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Several people lost their lives in the clashes, among them the wife of General Bertin Bada, President Talon’s military chief of staff, according to an official government report. Others were injured during the fighting near the presidential palace and key military sites.

Security forces arrested around 30 military personnel connected to the coup last month. 

President Talon, who has led the country since 2016 and is due to hand over power after elections in April 2026, vowed to punish those responsible.