An armed group of soldiers in Benin appeared live on TV to announce the dissolution of the government and the appointment of Lieutenant Colonel Pascal Tigri as the new head. The government declared the coup a failure. Benin, located in West Africa, has suffered coups several times.
Benin Political Crisis: There is news of a coup in another country of the African continent. According to reports, on Sunday an armed group of soldiers in Benin came live on TV and announced the dissolution of the current government. A group named “Military Committee for Refoundation” announced the removal of the country’s President and all constitutional institutions with immediate effect. This group has appointed Lieutenant Colonel Pascal Tigri as its new chief.
Benig’s Home Minister termed the coup attempt as foiled.
A photo has surfaced, in which 8 soldiers were seen standing on state television. During this time it was announced that a military committee formed under the leadership of Colonel Tigri Pascal had taken over the power of Benin. However, the Interior Minister of the Benin government said that the armed forces had foiled this attempt in time. Currently, Patrice Talon is the President of Benin, while Mariam Chabi Talata Jime Yerima is the Vice President.
Benin has faced political crisis many times
- Benin has suffered several coups since gaining independence from France on August 1, 1960. However, after 1991, political stability remained in the country.
- As a sovereign state, Benin has had democratic governments, military coups, and military governments. A self-proclaimed Marxist–Leninist state called the People’s Republic of Benin existed between 1975 and 1990. It was replaced by the multi-party Republic of Benin in 1991.
- Benin was formerly known as Dahomey. Located in West Africa, this country is bordered by Togo in the west, Nigeria in the east, Burkina Faso in the north-west and Niger in the north-east.
- Cotonou is the most populous and largest city of Benin. Its population is around 20 lakh. At the same time, the capital is in Porto-Nova, which is the second largest city of the country. French is still spoken in Benin.
- Many ethnic groups live in Benin, including the Fon, Adja, Yoruba, Bariba, Fula, Ottamari, Dendi.
- Benin has the highest number of people of Christian religion at 52.2%. After this, 24.6% believe in Islam.