After restoring the France-backed regime of Patrice Talon following a coup, foreign troops have remained in Benin, maintaining control over the Presidential residence and several key government buildings.
Foreign militaries attacked targets in Benin on December 7 to thwart the coup against the France-backed regime of President Patrice Talon, holding power since 2016 by way of jailing opponents and barring strong challengers from contesting elections.
The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) conducted airstrikes in Cotonou, Benin's largest city and the seat of the government. The western neighbor - whose military is struggling to protect its own citizens from attacks by ISIS-affiliated groups, Boko Haram, and bandits - also sent troops across the border.
Soldiers from Sierra Leone, Ivory Coast, and Ghana were also deployed alongside the Nigerian troops as part of the stand-by force of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), a regional bloc under the neocolonial yoke of France.
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French troops stationed in secret bases across Benin also played a key role in putting down the rebelling soldiers of Benin's army, said the Communist Party of Benin (PCB).
Explosions and gunfire were heard across Cotonou on Sunday evening, before Talon, whose whereabouts were unknown since the coup was announced in the morning, appeared on national television.
"I would like to reassure you that the situation is totally under control and therefore invite you to calmly go about your business," he announced. Under whose control, remains a question.
"The presidential palace and many government buildings are under the control of the French and Nigerian troops," PCB's first secretary, Philippe Noudjenoume, told Peoples Dispatch.
"If the regime were in control, why are the foreign troops still here? More troops have been coming in as part of the ECOWAS force," added Nidol Salami, a member of the Council of Patriotic Youth (CoJeP). With "almost all military garrisons" approving the coup, Talon can no longer "trust Benin's military to guard his regime," Noudjenoume maintains.
Discontent brewing in military ranks
Discontent has been brewing in the military amid increasing terror attacks. Earlier in January, hundreds of insurgents affiliated with Al Qaeda overran one of the strongest military installations in the northern region. Over 30 soldiers fell in battle after an eight-hour-long battle with no reinforcements.
Trade unions, student and youth organizations held demonstrations in the aftermath of this attack, paying tribute to the killed soldiers. Noting that terror attacks have become a recurring event since the French troops expelled from Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger were redeployed in Benin, the protesters also demanded their expulsion.
"What is evident is that Benin is now at war - a war waged by French imperialism through proxy jihadist forces," CoJeP president, Damien Degbe, had told Peoples Dispatch at the time.
Noudjenoume maintains that France has been using terror attacks to "weaken and destabilize" its former colonies in West Africa "to get its governments to accept the presence of French military forces" on their territories. The terror group struck again in April, killing over 50 more soldiers.
Read more: The people of Benin intensify anti-French protests in the wake of a terror attack
The families of the soldiers "who fell on the frontlines in action" are being neglected and "left to fend for themselves", decried the statement by the group of soldiers who announced the coup on national television on Sunday morning.
Raising concern over the "continued deterioration of the security situation in northern Benin," it also complained of "mismanagement of the agricultural sector", the capture of "all vital sectors of the economy by a small minority" of elites, and taxes burdening "already poor populations".
Talon's regime is violating "fundamental liberties", he added further, complaining of "arrests and imprisonment", "intimidation", forcing Talon's political opponents into exile, and barring strong opposition candidates from contesting in the elections.
"The seizure of power" under these circumstances "reflects the firm will" of what it called the "Military Committee for Refoundation" to restore "national cohesion", he said, announcing Lieutenant Colonel Pascal Tigri as the transitional president.
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"A pure and simple transformation of Benin into a French Colony"
Reiterating its opposition to "putschism", PCB added, however, that the coup on December 7 was the consequence of "dictatorship" and the "repeated institutional coups since the arrival of President Patrice Talon in 2016", closing "every avenue for democratic expression."
"There was great joy throughout the country when the coup was announced," Noudjenoume said. Several clips shared on social media showed groups of people coming out to the streets to celebrate the coup. However, there was little time for mass mobilizations because foreign intervention by multiple militaries came quickly by noon.
Several clips shared on social media showed groups of people coming out to the streets to celebrate the coup. However, the foreign intervention by multiple militaries came quickly by noon.
Even after restoring Talon to power, foreign troops remain in the country. Demanding their "immediate departure", PCB deemed their continued presence as "a pure and simple transformation of Benin into a French Colony" again.
