News In Diaspora
Benin Abortive Coup: Benin Detains Nigerian Ex-Defence Minister For Alleged Role
Former Benin defence minister and leading opposition figure, Candide Azannai, has been remanded in pre-trial detention in connection with investigations into the failed coup attempt that rocked the country earlier this month.
Azannai was placed in custody on Saturday following his arraignment before Benin’s anti-terrorism court.
According to reports, prosecutors accused him of conspiring against the state and inciting rebellion.
He was arrested last week at the headquarters of his political party in Cotonou, days after the aborted takeover.
His detention comes despite his public condemnation of the coup and marks the latest development in the sweeping crackdown that followed the foiled plot.
On Tuesday, about 30 suspects, mostly members of the armed forces, were jailed on charges of treason over their alleged roles in the uprising.
On December 7, mutinous soldiers appeared on national television to announce they had overthrown President Patrice Talon.
The declaration was short-lived, as loyalist troops, supported by the Nigerian Air Force, quickly regained control and crushed the attempt.
The violence surrounding the failed coup reportedly claimed several lives, while some key suspects, including alleged ringleader Lieutenant-Colonel Pascal Tigri, are still at large.
After hours of interrogation, Azannai was escorted by police from the court premises in the early hours of Saturday before being transferred into detention.
President Talon, who is expected to leave office in April after completing the constitutionally mandated two terms, has earned international praise for economic reforms.
However, critics have increasingly accused his administration of authoritarian tendencies in a country once regarded as a democratic model in West Africa.
In recent years, Benin has also faced rising jihadist threats in its northern regions.
President Volodymyr Zelensky has expressed his readiness for one-on-one talks with President Vladimir Putin to work out a permanent ceasefire to end the Ukraine war.
Zelensky reiterated the commitment on Wednesday at a press conference alongside NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte on the sidelines of the first NATO-Ukraine Council meeting.
“I’m ready for direct negotiations with Putin to end this war,” he said in Kyiv. “Rather than wait while everybody finishes all the conflicts in the world.”
Zelensky noted that ballistic missiles are Russia’s “last argument” in the war, confirming his country has been responding with the American-made Patriot systems.
The leader insists the recent strikes by Ukraine were justified, as they were carried out in response to the Russian attacks on its territory.
“If they continue using drones and missiles against us, we will be doing the same,” Zelensky vowed. “But we respond exclusively against oil refineries or justified military targets.”
The President, however, hinted that the greatest threat Ukraine currently faces is Russia’s capability to produce up to 120 ballistic missiles per month.
Rutte praised Ukraine for its resilience, saying the nation has become so successful that Putin was only able to organize the May 9 parade with an official presidential decree by Zelensky.
Iran has warned residents in northern Israel to leave their homes if Israel follows through on its threat to attack Beirut’s southern suburbs.
The warning was issued by Iran’s central military command and reported by the state-run IRNA news agency.
According to the statement, the message was a response to an Israeli military evacuation order issued for Dahiyeh, a southern suburb of Beirut.
The commander of the Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters said residents in northern Israel should evacuate in the event of an Israeli strike on the area, signalling a further escalation in tensions between the two sides.
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