Benin has accused its neighbors of destabilization since the resignation of a judge from a special court, who may have taken refuge there.
A few days before the April 11 presidential election, the escape of a judge from a special court is making headlines. The country’s authorities accuse the neighbors of destabilization. .
Essowé Batamoussi, magistrate of the Court of repression of economic crimes and terrorism (Criet), is in charge of the case Reckya Madougou, presidential candidate and accused of attack on state security. Dismissed from the presidential election, Reckya Madougou is accused of plotting to assassinate high-ranking political figures in Benin, with a view to disturbing the progress of the presidential election.
Monday, April 5, he fled, accusing the authorities of exerting pressure on the judiciary. “The judge that I am is not independent,” he told RFI.
Judge Essowé Batamoussi considers that the Reckya Madougou file is empty. For him, his leak and his statement on RFI could deter the authorities from maintaining pressure on his colleagues and raising awareness. »
The reaction of the Beninese authorities was not long in coming. In a press release, the Minister of Justice of Benin, Sévérin Quenum, rejects the allegations of Judge Essowé Batamoussi, yet considered by his colleagues as “rigorous”.
« Large sums of money from neighboring countries are offered here and there to rally various civil or military personalities to the destabilization of the state“, accuses Séverin Quenum.
The minister also claims that calls for a coup have been made.
Arrived in power in 2016, extremely wealthy and first businessman of Benin, President Talon has attracted enmities by the somewhat authoritarian way of his economic and political reforms. Political reforms that have led to a de facto bipartisanship in the National Assembly and the emasculation of most political parties. To illustrate the great democracy that is his mandate, the two parties present in parliament support his presidential election while his serious rivals are rejected. His biggest rival, the billionaire Sébastien Ajavon is exiled for legal reasons, leaving a boulevard to a Talon to compete in a presidential without danger.
Ditto for its economic policy, the harshness of which has created many susceptibilities in the country, despite a relative appreciation of its balance sheet by some analysts.
The resigned judge refugee in Togo?
We also note that Patrice Talon, who travels very little, has no friends among the presidents of the sub-region; a situation that is not likely to attract external support from its neighbors, in the event of political troubles inside. Among the neighbors, Togo and Nigeria, could for various reasons welcome, harbor or support Talon’s possible adversaries.
So where is the fleeing magistrate? All eyes are on neighboring countries. Togo could be first on the list. Before applying as a presidential candidate in Benin, Reckya Madougou was adviser to the President of the Republic of Togo, and a very influential personality in Lomé. Urban legend has it that this former minister of Yayi Boni is a close friend of the Togolese head of state.
Former Minister of Microfinance, Youth and Women’s Employment before occupying the head of the Ministry of Justice, Reckya Madougou has developed a solid network of influences between Cotonou, Lomé, Abidjan and Dakar. Despite the dramatic side of the situation, it seems that Mrs. Madougou would have played a crucial role in the return of Patrice Talon to Benin. Suspected of wanting to poison President Yayi Boni, to whom he was close, and prosecuted by French justice, the current Beninese president had gone into exile in France. Thanks to her, the Heads of State of Togo and Côte d’Ivoire asked Yayi Boni to accept Patrice’s return to the fold.
The candidacy of Reckya Madougou, adviser to Faure Gnassingbe, is considered a casus belli by the Togolese political class. Nathaniel Olympio, president of the Togolese Party, speaks of a “diplomatic incident” in evoking this candidacy, and wondered if this intrusion of the Togolese presidency in the affairs of Benin could not constitute a casus belli.
In another Tweet this Tuesday, April 6, two months later, for the leader of the Togolese Party, Togo is clearly the neighboring country mentioned by the Beninese authorities.
Have the Togolese authorities granted asylum to Judge Essowé Batamoussi? Maybe. Suspected of being close to Reckya Madougou who was Minister of Justice, Essowé Batamoussi is also a national of northern Benin. His first and last name sounding Kabyè, Logba or Batammariba, Essowé Batamoussi is ethnically close to certain political directors in Togo. Hence the suspicion…
Nigeria too could be
Another country that may be in the crosshairs of the Beninese authorities: Nigeria. Benin had a fight with its powerful for economic reasons. Under the pretext of fighting smuggling, Nigeria had closed its western border with Benin for more than a year. A situation that led to an imbalance in the Beninese economy, the agricultural sector of which was violently hit.
But reasons other than the fight against smuggling could militate in favor of closing the Nigerian border. In 2019, at an economic forum organized by the Mo Ibrahim Foundation, the wealthy Nigerian businessman, Ali Dangote, accused Benin of failing to respect ECOWAS rules on the free movement of goods and people. Porto Novo refused to import Nigerian cement in favor of exporting Chinese cement. Explosive detail, business circles suspect the Beninese president of being behind the trafficking of Chinese cement in Cotonou. Which could make Talon look like the opponent of Nigeria’s economic hegemony in the ECOWAS space.
Political and economic violence inside, lack of fair play with certain neighbors, President Talon has created many enemies in 5 years of government. External enemies who may want to swear his downfall.
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