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Enioluwa Adeniyi
Guest
General Louis Philippe Houndegnon, a former police chief in Benin Republic and now a vocal government critic, has been detained on charges of “incitement to rebellion,” judicial sources confirmed to AFP on Friday.
His trial is scheduled to begin on December 16.
Houndegnon, who was once a powerful figure under former president Thomas Boni Yayi, was dismissed in 2016 by current President Patrice Talon.
The former police chief’s detention comes less than two months after key political figures, including businessman Olivier Boko and former sports minister Oswald Homeky, were accused of plotting a coup.
Two sources close to Houndegnon revealed to AFP that he remains calm and in good spirits despite his detention.
Political tensions are mounting in Benin, a country of approximately 11 million people, as divisions emerge within President Talon’s ruling coalition.
With the president nearing the end of his second and constitutionally final term in 2026, the political landscape is growing increasingly fraught.
Critics have accused Talon of steering Benin, once celebrated as a beacon of multi-party democracy in West Africa, toward authoritarianism since he assumed office in 2016.
The accusations of rebellion and coup plotting among high-profile figures have deepened concerns over the country’s political stability.
While Houndegnon awaits his day in court, observers are closely watching how these developments will influence Benin’s democratic institutions and political future.
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