Benin: President’s confidants allegedly planned coup
Published: Thursday, Sep 26th 2024, 14:00
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Three men have been arrested in the West African coastal state of Benin for allegedly planning a coup d'état. The former sports minister Oswald Homeky is said to have handed over cash amounting to the equivalent of more than 2.2 million Swiss francs (1.5 billion CFA francs) to the commander of the president's bodyguard, said public prosecutor Mario Mètonou.
The men were arrested while handing over six bags of banknotes on the night of September 24.
The money is said to have come from businessman Olivier Boko, who was also arrested. Boko and Homeky are said to have used the money to try to gain the commander's approval for a coup allegedly planned for September 27. Boko is considered a confidant of the president and wants to run as his successor. Talon has announced that he will not run again at the end of his second term in 2026. Politicians and businesspeople are now trying to position themselves.
Benin is a coastal state in West Africa with around 14.5 million inhabitants. The entrepreneur Talon has been in power since 2016. While reforms, infrastructure projects and investments have led to an upturn in the former French colony, which has been independent since 1960, many people continue to live in poverty. Talon is also accused of weakening the opposition and restricting political freedoms.
Coups d'état have been on the rise in West and Central Africa for several years. Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, Guinea, Chad and Gabon have experienced anti-constitutional takeovers by the military since 2020. There have been attempted coups in several other countries.
©Keystone/SDA
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