Beninese authorities are in active pursuit of Lieutenant Colonel Pascal Tigri, the alleged ringleader of a failed coup attempt against President Patrice Talon on the night of December 6-7. The career officer, who climbed the ranks from the Bembèrèkè military academy to command the elite Special Forces Group, had previously served without arousing suspicion.
Tigri remains at large, having evaded capture along with several accomplices after security forces repelled the pre-dawn assault on the presidential palace and the president’s private residence. The mutineers briefly seized the state broadcaster, announcing the government’s dissolution and the formation of a ‘Military Committee for Refoundation’. Loyalist troops, backed by Nigerian air power, quickly retook the facility. The clash resulted in the death of one presidential guard and heavy casualties among the attackers. Tigri’s group also took two senior officers hostage, who were released the following day.
The search for the seemingly unassuming soldier now raises the question of who he is and what motivated his bid for power.
An Unassuming and Disciplined Career
Many officers expressed shock at Tigri’s involvement. Sources describe him as a discreet and disciplined officer, respectful of the hierarchy, not one who would typically rebel. Colonel Dieudonné Djimon Tévoédjrè, Commander of the Republican Guard, noted that Tigri was “known as a good soldier” who had earned his place through an officer’s academy and enjoyed his superiors’ trust prior to the mutiny.
- Military Training: A former cadet of the Bembèrèkè military academy, Tigri was trained in artillery and had spent a long time as an enlisted soldier before rising to operational command positions. He reportedly told confidantes, “I am not an officer who rose through privilege.”
- Mentor and Rise: Tigri was a protégé of Colonel Faizou Gomina, the Chief of Staff of the National Guard, who took him under his wing. He rose through the ranks of the National Guard, a branch created in 2020 as part of defense reforms.
- Special Forces Commander: After initially commanding the 3rd Bataillon Inter-armes (BIA), an elite unit, Tigri took command of the Special Forces Group in January, replacing Major Benjamin Ahanhanzo Glèlè. He had also participated in Operation Mirador, the 2022 counter-terrorism deployment against rising jihadist incursions in northwestern Benin.
Coup Motivations: Security and Political Grievances
The mutineers’ televised message, broadcast during their brief siege of the national television station, laid out both security and political grievances against the Patrice Talon government.
Security Concerns
The broadcast suggested disagreements over counter-terrorism strategy may have prompted Tigri and his group of about 100 men from the Togbin military base to act. They cited the following issues, which were strongly denied by the Beninese Armed Forces general staff:
- The “continuous degradation of the security situation in northern Benin.”
- The “ignorance and negligence of the situation of brothers in arms fallen at the front, and especially that of their families abandoned to their sad fate.”
Political Concerns
The mutineers also denounced political actions, primarily focusing on electoral exclusion:
- The “total exclusion of actors having ideas deemed contrary to the governance of Patrice Talon.”
- The “deprivation of certain citizens of their right to choose their candidate.”
This referred to the main opposition party, Les Démocrates, led by former President Thomas Boni Yayi, which was barred from the April 2026 presidential election and the municipal elections scheduled for January 11, though they can participate in the legislative elections on the same date.
Suspicions of Political Collusion
The political talking points fuelled suspicions of a link between the coup plotters and the opposition, particularly since Pascal Tigri is the younger brother of Alassane Tigri, the former Government Secretary General and current Fourth Vice-President of Les Démocrates.
- Opposition Response: Les Démocrates, like many other parties, condemned the coup attempt and reaffirmed its commitment to democratic values.
- Alassane Tigri’s Denial: Alassane Tigri strongly denounced the insinuations of complicity, affirming his personal attachment to democracy and his long-standing opposition to authoritarian regimes.
Hostage-Taking and Score Settling
In the initial hours of the putsch, the mutineers took two high-ranking officers hostage: General Abou Issa, Chief of Staff of the Army, and Faizou Gomina, the Chief of Staff of the National Guard and Pascal Tigri’s former mentor. The attackers also targeted the residence of General Bertin Bada, Patrice Talon’s military chief of staff and the highest-ranking officer in the army, who tragically lost his wife in the offensive.
- Targeted Officers: The high-ranking officers appeared to have been targeted due to suspicions of favouritism. The attackers demanded an end to “the promotion to higher ranks of certain soldiers to the detriment of the most deserving, and the forced retirement of numerous soldiers and paramilitaries who are still fit for service, against a backdrop of score-settling and hatred.”
The Hunt Continues
The two military officials were released the day after the assault in Tchaourou, nearly 400 km north of Cotonou. Despite the arrests of a dozen suspects, Beninese security authorities have failed to capture Tigri and his core group. A source close to the presidency suggests that Tigri left Cotonou in civilian clothes, possibly heading directly to Togo, rather than accompanying the convoy transporting the hostages.
