1963 Dahomeyan coup d'état
1963 Dahomeyan coup d'état | |||||||
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Belligerents | |||||||
Government of Benin (Cristophe Soglo faction) | Government of Benin (Hubert Maga faction) | ||||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||||
Christophe Soglo | Hubert Maga |
History of Benin |
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History of the Kingdom of Dahomey |
Early history |
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Modern period |
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The 1963 Dahomeyan coup d'état was staged on October 28, 1963, by Christophe Soglo, who took control of the Republic of Dahomey to prevent a civil war. He overthrew Hubert Maga, whose presidency faced extreme economic stagnation and a host of other problems.
Background
The West African colony of
The economic stagnation triggered intense regionalistic attitudes in Dahomey.
In early 1961, the president began applying repressive measures on the opposition press and anyone suspected of trouble-making, thus practically eliminated Ahomadégbé-Tomêtin's voice in the country.[8] By April, most Dahomeyan Democratic Union (UDD) members had expressed interest in joining the Dahomeyan Unity Party, and Maga not only supported this but encouraged it. A notable exception was Ahomadégbé-Tomêtin himself. The choice was soon made for him; the entire UDD was dissolved by Maga on April 11.[9] Maga then attempted to design a four-year growth plan, to begin on January 1, 1962, that contained many ambitious acts.[10] It was designed to increase yield in agriculture[11] and was financed by French capital.[12] Part of the plan was to cut all wages by ten percent.[11] Young Dahomeyans would contribute "human investment", or forced labor on the fields.[12]
Maga decided to
Dessou riots
January 1962 saw the poisoning of Dessou, an official of the Sakete sub-prefecture.[14][15] The deputy from his constituency, named Christophe Bokhiri,[15] was accused of the crime and duly arrested. He was released after his fellow deputies in the National Assembly requested to suspend proceedings against him under the parliamentary immunity clauses of the Dahomey Constitution,[16] specifically Article 37. Maga, meanwhile, was away in Paris during all of this.[14]
The people of Dahomey, on the other hand, were outraged on the release of Bokhiri. They incited racial clashes in the summer of 1963, as the murderer and the victim were of different tribes.
In light of recent events, Maga cancelled his trip to the United States and returned to Dahomey immediately. Appealing for peace, he convened a special National Assembly session. The protesters and trade unionists were indifferent to these actions; when Maga agreed with their demands and replaced his government with a provisional one in which Apithy and Ahomadégbé-Tomêtin had equal standing, they organized themselves to "boo" this new order. Armed northerners came down to Cotonou to support Maga and clashed with dissenters, killing two.[19] The protesters, however, would not return to their jobs until Maga no longer held his.[20]
Coup
On October 28 Chief of Staff of the 800-man Dahomeyan Army Christophe Soglo took control of the country[16] to prevent a civil war. He dismissed the cabinet, dissolved the Assembly, suspended the constitution and banned all demonstrations.[19] After having Maga sign his resignation the same day[16] he gave Maga, Apithy, and Ahomadégbé-Tomêtin the powers of the Ministry of State.[19] Southern Dahomey later created a statue in honor of this day in the national history.[21]
The strikes ended the next day. The reasons for the overthrow of Maga was the "luxurious life style of the rulers, abusive increase in the number of ministerial posts, unsatisfied social demands, unkept promises, the rise of the cost of living, and antidemocratic measures that martyrized the people and reduced them to nothing."[22]
Aftermath
The provisional government dissolved the PDU and replaced it by a
Soglo and Maga were friends.[17] However, in early December, Soglo discovered a plot to have him assassinated and blamed Maga,[23] who resigned his post on December 4.[24] A few days after the discovery, he was placed under house arrest along with four former cabinet members. At an official inquiry this conspiracy charge was dropped, but Maga was still guilty of corruption.[23] Following a March 1964 retrial, Maga was let out of prison[25] and went into exile in Paris.[26]
See also
References
- ^ Dossou-Yovo 1999, p. 59.
- ^ a b Decalo 1973, p. 457.
- ^ Magnusson 2001, p. 218.
- ^ Matthews 1966, p. 143.
- ^ a b Dossou-Yovo 1999, p. 60.
- ^ Decalo 1973, p. 454.
- ^ Decalo 1973, pp. 457–458.
- ^ Matthews 1966, p. 145.
- ^ Carter 1963, p. 231.
- ^ Carter 1963, p. 198.
- ^ a b Matthews 1966, p. 147.
- ^ a b Matthews 1966, p. 148.
- ^ Matthews 1966, p. 150.
- ^ a b c d e f Matthews 1966, p. 151.
- ^ a b Ronen 1975, p. 191.
- ^ a b c d Keesing's Worldwide, LLC. 1963, p. 19762.
- ^ a b c "Sounds in the Night", Time, Time Inc., November 8, 1963, archived from the original on December 22, 2008, retrieved 2008-11-09
- ^ Associated Press (October 29, 1963), "Army Takes Over Dahomey", The Washington Post, p. A17, retrieved 2008-12-23.
- ^ a b c d e Matthews 1966, p. 152.
- St. Petersburg Times, Times Publishing Company, p. 2, October 29, 1963, retrieved 2008-11-15.
- ^ Decalo 1973, p. 474.
- ^ Ronen 1975, p. 193.
- ^ a b c Matthews 1966, p. 153.
- ^ Reuters (December 4, 1963), "Maga resigns post", The Washington Post, p. B2, archived from the original on 2011-05-25, retrieved 2008-12-24.
- ^ Matthews 1966, p. 157.
- ^ "Results of Election In Dahomey Voided By Military Regime" (PDF), The New York Times, p. 17, May 13, 1968, retrieved 2008-12-13.
Bibliography
- Carter (1963), "Dahomey", in Margaret, Gwendolen (ed.), Five African States; Responses to Diversity: the Congo, Dahomey, the Cameroun Federal Republic, the Rhodesias and Nyasaland, South Africa, OCLC 413212.
- Decalo, Samuel (April 1973), "Regionalism, Politics, and the Military in Dahomey", The Journal of Developing Areas, 7 (3), College of Business, Tennessee State University: 449–478, JSTOR 4190033.
- OCLC 211426384.
- Keesing's Worldwide, LLC. (November 1963), "Nov 1963 - Fall of President Maga's Regime. - Formation of Provisional Military Government", Keesing's Contemporary Archives, 9, London, OCLC 1644683.
- Magnusson, Bruce A. (January 2001), "Democratization and Domestic Insecurity: Navigating the Transition in Benin", Comparative Politics, 33 (2): 211–230, JSTOR 422379.
- Matthews, Ronald (1966), African Powder Keg: Revolt and Dissent in Six Emergent Nations, London: OCLC 246401461.
- Ronen, Dov (1975), Dahomey: Between Tradition and Modernity, OCLC 1527290.