Lieutenant-Colonel Pascal Tigri, the alleged mastermind behind last week's failed coup in Benin Republic, has been granted political asylum by Burkina Faso, officials confirmed Friday. The decision by the Burkinabè government marks a significant escalation in regional tensions, delivering a direct snub to Benin's demand for extradition.
The dramatic development follows the soldier's stealthy, multi-country escape from Cotonou, where he had led an attempt to seize control of state broadcasters.
The Disappearance and the Getaway
According to detailed intelligence reports, the escape was swift and pre-planned. In the final moments before the coup attempt was foiled by Beninese forces with Nigerian support, Tigri reportedly told his fellow soldiers he needed to use the restroom. Instead, he slipped out a backdoor of the broadcast station, sensing the imminent collapse of the operation.
Under cover of darkness, the fugitive lieutenant-colonel is said to have disguised himself and boarded a local bus, beginning a northward journey. His route reportedly took him from Cotonou through Parakou and finally toward the border, where he crossed into Togo. Sources allege that his contacts had already "greased the palm" of Togolese immigration officials with $20,000 to secure a free and discreet passage into the country.
Benin's President Patrice Talon had publicly urged Togo to extradite Tigri, warning that a failure to do so would be seen as proof of Togo's complicity. However, Togolese authorities did not comply, and Tigri soon made his way to Burkina Faso's capital, Ouagadougou.
A Diplomatic Flashpoint and an "Act of Solidarity"
Burkina Faso's decision to welcome the coup suspect was framed not as a legal judgment, but as an act of political fraternity. In an official statement, Burkinabè President Captain Ibrahim Traoré declared that granting Tigri asylum "aligns with Burkina Faso’s humanitarian commitments and the principle of solidarity, a core value of the Alliance of Sahel States."
He added that Tigri would "fully benefit from the hospitality and protection" of Burkina Faso and its partners in the AES—the regional bloc that also includes Mali and Niger, all of which have undergone military takeovers themselves in recent years.
This move openly defies Benin, a West African neighbor aligned more closely with the traditional regional body, ECOWAS, and Western powers. It underscores the growing geopolitical rift between the military-led AES states and their more democratically governed coastal neighbors.
The development leaves Benin's government in a difficult position, having lost its prime suspect to a neighboring state that has declared him a protected political refugee.
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