Source : Sahel weather October 2024 

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In Benin, there have been a number of new developments in the soap opera surrounding the alleged coup attemptby Olivier Boko and Oswald Homéky, former close associates of President Talon. On October 23, Beninese businessman Olivier Boko appeared again before the investigating committee of the Court for the Repression of Economic Offences and Terrorism (Criet). The hearing was to be followed by a new summons, scheduled for two days later. However, the Beninese businessman's lawyers were able to obtain a one-week postponement. Republican Guard commander Dieudonné Tévoédjrè, who had been released in the wake of the arrests of Boko and Homeky, was once again heard by the Criet's investigating chamber. He had already been heard on October1, 2024. In the days following Boko's arrest, network coordinator Hosée Houngnibo expressed his indignation on social networks. On Monday October 7, he was arrested by agents of the Centre National des Investigations Numériques (CNIN), on charges of “ inciting rebellion and harassment by electronic means. ” A week later, he was placed under a committal order after being brought before the Criet.

However, the controversy surrounding this alleged attempted putsch remains far from over within the political class, in this case the opposition. According to former minister Candide Azanaï - now a member of the opposition - the conspiracy theory seems unlikely, and is more a case of “ opportunistic political set-up ”. In a post published on his Facebook page, he declared: “ There is no coup d'état, no attempted coup d'état, no preparations for a coup d'état (...) You don't need to go far to convince yourself that this September 23, 2024, was a staged event for ulterior motives, in connection with the 2026 electoral deadlines and the phobia of the post-2026 era ”. Elucidation or not, the possibility of a link between this affair and the 2026 presidential elections has also been raised by some sections of Beninese public opinion. Reacting to these rumblings, government spokesman Wilfried Léandre Houngbédji made it clear. “ If by some extraordinary chance tomorrow the President himself changes his mind and wishes to continue, I'll tell him President, I've already told the Beninese that it's two. You've encouraged me. I'm not going to tell them you're coming back. It's not possible, so we'll find someone else,” he declared. One thing is certain: the Constitution does not allow Talon to run for a third term, as he himself officially declared last February that he would not stand for re-election.

On October 28, Joseph Djogbénou, President of the Union Progressiste Le Renouveau (UPR) party, which is close to Talon, issued a press release announcing the dismissal of Christelle Houndonougbo from her position as the party's Director of Administration, for “serious misconduct”. The reason, according to the document: “ Christelle Houndonougbo has, on her own initiative and without having received special authority or any empowerment from the Party, let alone informed its President, engaged, pursued and concluded on October 8, 2024, a contract described as a ‘memorandum of understanding’ which commits the party to a firm called ‘Particip Gmbh ’.” Some members of the public are trying to establish a link between this event and Olivier Boko. Indeed, on the latter's birthday (October 2), she made a post on Facebook, affirming her solidarity with him. “ A brother remains a brother in all circumstances. Even more so in times of great trial ”, she declared.

In the North, the security situation has calmed down. At the very least, no new attacks have been recorded. A parliamentary “Security and Defense” committee made up of members of parliament from both the opposition and the mainstream parties, visited the North to assess the government's action against terrorism, in particular the Mirador plan. After a 4-day tour - from October 26 to 30 - of Banikoara, Kaobagou, Guimbagou, Matéri, Malanville, Porga and Koalou/Kourou, the commission's report is reassuring. “ In terms of manpower, equipment, response plan and organization, we were all unanimous in welcoming what we saw. There wasn't a single dissenting voice,” praised committee chairman Abdoulaye Gounou, a deputy from the ruling majority. Constant Nahum, an elected member of the opposition party Les Démocrates, echoed the same sentiment. “ When the house is on fire, there are no opponents (...) We are safeguarding the interests of the people. The response on the Beninese side is striking (...) At present, there are no more attacks, but we are on red alert and on maximum alert ”, he moderated for his part.