Two senior military officials held during Sunday’s attempted coup in Benin have been freed, though details of their release remain unclear, according to a government source. Security forces continue to pursue the soldiers who appeared on state TV to announce a takeover, as gunfire was reported near the presidential residence. President Patrice Talon later said the situation was “totally under control,” with Nigeria confirming it deployed fighter jets to help “dislodge the coup plotters” from key locations.
Benin’s government said 14 people have been arrested, including 12 who stormed the national TV station, while the alleged leader, Lt Col Pascal Tigri, remains missing. Explosions were heard in Cotonou, believed to be linked to an air strike, as ECOWAS deployed troops from four countries to secure installations. Talon condemned the mutiny, adding that loyalist forces had “cleared the last pockets of resistance held by the mutineers” and pledged that “this treachery will not go unpunished.”