The Togolese government has announced that Lt Col Pascal Tigri, accused of leading a failed coup attempt in Benin, has fled to the country led by Faure Essozimna Gnassingbé.
The announcement was made on December 10, 2025, and Benin immediately demanded that the leader be extradited immediately to face charges. Togo shares a border with Benin, in the west.
Lt Col Pascal Tigri could be the source of tension between the two West African countries, which are often the scene of coups.
On the morning of December 7, 2025, a group of Beninese soldiers stormed the home of President Patrice Talon, seeking to overthrow him.
The soldiers, led by Lt Col Pascal Tigri, managed to take over national television and broadcast a message saying that they had carried out a ‘coup d’état’ and ousted Patrice Talon.
Before the television went offline, the soldiers said they had set up a military commission to overthrow the constitution, government institutions and all political parties.
However, with the help of France, Nigeria and other countries, the plan was thwarted.
The Togolese Foreign Ministry did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
A Beninese official said that Lt Col Pascal Tigri and other suspected coup plotters had fled to an area of the capital, Lomé, known as Lomé 2, where Faure Gnassingbé’s home is located.
He said, “If the Togolese government does not hand them over to Benin, it will be a sign that Togo participated in the coup attempt.”
A letter from Benin’s intelligence service to a similar Togolese one on December 10, 2025, seen by Reuters, shows that four Beninese soldiers had fled to Togo on the day of the coup attempt. Lt Col Pascal Tigri had been called by someone using a Togolese phone number.
It said, “We ask you to help us deliver these suspected soldiers to the Beninese authorities.”
The plotters tried to capture President Talon at his home, and even got close enough to witness heavy fighting.
They also kidnapped two military officers, but both were released on the morning of December 8, 2025.
A spokesman for the Benin government, Wilfried Leandre Houngbedji, said that on December 7, 14 people were arrested on suspicion of involvement in the incident. President Talon said that those responsible for the attack would be held accountable because this act of violence would not be tolerated.
