A senior government official in Benin has told the BBC that the leader of Sunday's failed coup is taking refuge in neighbouring Togo. Speaking on condition of anonymity, the official said that the government would request Lt Col Pascal Tigri's extradition. Togo's government has not yet commented.
The failed coup came after a series of military takeovers in West Africa, raising concern that democracy is increasingly under threat in the region. It was thwarted after regional power Nigeria sent fighter jets to dislodge the mutineers from a military base and the offices of state TV following a request from President Patrice Talon's government.
A group of soldiers appeared on state TV early on Sunday to announce they had seized power, and gunfire was heard near the presidential residence. French special forces also helped loyalist troops to thwart the coup, the head of Benin's republican guard, which is responsible for protecting the president, told AFP news agency.
The government official told the BBC that they knew that Lt Col Pascal Tigri was in Togo's capital, Lomé, in the same area where President Faure Gnassingbé lives. Benin's National Guard, accused of initiating the coup attempt, was formed as part of scaling up military efforts against terrorism, having previously faced losses due to insurgencies.
The attempt has raised alarms within the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), which has deployed troops from several nations to secure key installations in Benin. President Talon, in power since 2016, is set to step down next year, with elections scheduled for April.
The failed coup came after a series of military takeovers in West Africa, raising concern that democracy is increasingly under threat in the region. It was thwarted after regional power Nigeria sent fighter jets to dislodge the mutineers from a military base and the offices of state TV following a request from President Patrice Talon's government.
A group of soldiers appeared on state TV early on Sunday to announce they had seized power, and gunfire was heard near the presidential residence. French special forces also helped loyalist troops to thwart the coup, the head of Benin's republican guard, which is responsible for protecting the president, told AFP news agency.
The government official told the BBC that they knew that Lt Col Pascal Tigri was in Togo's capital, Lomé, in the same area where President Faure Gnassingbé lives. Benin's National Guard, accused of initiating the coup attempt, was formed as part of scaling up military efforts against terrorism, having previously faced losses due to insurgencies.
The attempt has raised alarms within the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), which has deployed troops from several nations to secure key installations in Benin. President Talon, in power since 2016, is set to step down next year, with elections scheduled for April.
