Benoît Sinzogan
Encyclopedia
Benoît Sinzogan is a Beninese military officer and politician, best known for leading his country's gendarmerie
in the late 1960s. He was a member of the Fon
ethnic group, which dominated the Beninese (then known as Dahomeyan) army from 1965 to 1967. After Maurice Kouandété
usurped the presidency on December 17, Sinzogan was placed under house arrest until December 19. That day, Sinzogan was appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs, his first political post, which he held until July 1968. He was a member of the Military Directorate, which ruled Dahomey from 1969-1970. Academic Samuel Decalo described the man as "too timid to mount a coup" during the 1960s and 1970s, being "one of Dahomey's few senior officers not to attempt to."
, which dominated the Beninese (then known as Dahomeyan) army from 1965 to 1967. Sinzogan was General Christophe Soglo
's aide and commander of the First Battalion in Cotonou.
Sinzogan's rise to power occurred during a period of intense regionalism in Dahomey. They were spurred by the historical resentment shared by members of the former kingdoms of Abomey
, Porto Novo, and disorganised tribes from the north. Its result was the creation of three de facto tribal zones: the north, southeast, and southwest. This regionalism permeated into the armed forces, compounded by divisions of officers into cliques based on education. Hachème was a member of what Decalo called the Abomey clique, which also included prominent offices Philippe Aho, Jean-Baptiste Hachème
, and Benoit Adandejan.
He was the original head of the Comité Militare de Vigilance when it was established on April 6, 1967, which was set up to administer President Christophe Soglo
's regime. Maurice Kouandété
was established as his vice president. As corruption began to seep in, the Comite lost its value. After Kouandete usurped the presidency on December 17, Sinzogan was placed under house arrest at the Ghezo military camp until December 19.
On December 10, 1969, Kouandété staged another coup, against then-president Emile Derlin Zinsou
. A Military Directorate was formed on December 13 to administer Dahomey in the aftermath. Sinzogan was a member, the head of the ministries of Justice, Foreign Affairs, and Education. When Hubert Maga
was proclaimed head of a Presidential Council on May 7, 1970, Sinzogan lost that post.
Sinzogan was alternate judge of the military trial convened in 1972 to address an attempted coup that Kouandété tried to perpetrate. He handed the death penalty to Kouandété and two of his companions. In October, when Mathieu Kérékou
seized power in a coup, Sinzogan was removed from the military and appointed commissioner of the National Society of the Development of the Forest (S.N.A.F.O.R.). Academic Samuel Decalo described the man as "too timid to mount a coup" during the 1960s and 1970s, being "one of Dahomey's few senior officers not to attempt to."
Gendarmerie
A gendarmerie or gendarmery is a military force charged with police duties among civilian populations. Members of such a force are typically called "gendarmes". The Shorter Oxford English Dictionary describes a gendarme as "a soldier who is employed on police duties" and a "gendarmery, -erie" as...
in the late 1960s. He was a member of the Fon
Fon people
The Fon people, or Fon nu, are a major West African ethnic and linguistic group in the country of Benin, and southwest Nigeria, made up of more than 3,500,000 people. The Fon language is the main language spoken in Southern Benin, and is a member of the Gbe language group...
ethnic group, which dominated the Beninese (then known as Dahomeyan) army from 1965 to 1967. After Maurice Kouandété
Maurice Kouandété
Iropa Maurice Kouandété was a military officer and politician in Benin . He was born to Somba parents in the Gaba District of Dahomey. Kouandété enrolled in the army in his late teens. Over the years, he became popular among junior soldiers in the north and gained the contempt of those in the south...
usurped the presidency on December 17, Sinzogan was placed under house arrest until December 19. That day, Sinzogan was appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs, his first political post, which he held until July 1968. He was a member of the Military Directorate, which ruled Dahomey from 1969-1970. Academic Samuel Decalo described the man as "too timid to mount a coup" during the 1960s and 1970s, being "one of Dahomey's few senior officers not to attempt to."
Military background
Sinzogan was born on July 14, 1930 in Abomey, Dahomey. He was a member of the Fon ethnic groupFon people
The Fon people, or Fon nu, are a major West African ethnic and linguistic group in the country of Benin, and southwest Nigeria, made up of more than 3,500,000 people. The Fon language is the main language spoken in Southern Benin, and is a member of the Gbe language group...
, which dominated the Beninese (then known as Dahomeyan) army from 1965 to 1967. Sinzogan was General Christophe Soglo
Christophe Soglo
Christophe Soglo was a Beninese military officer and political leader and one of the most important figures in Benin's period of political instability and frequent, though usually bloodless, coups during the 1960s.-Biography:...
's aide and commander of the First Battalion in Cotonou.
Sinzogan's rise to power occurred during a period of intense regionalism in Dahomey. They were spurred by the historical resentment shared by members of the former kingdoms of Abomey
Abomey
When UNESCO designated the royal palaces of Abomey as a World Heritage Site in 1985 it statedFrom 1993, 50 of the 56 bas-reliefs that formerly decorated the walls of King Glèlè have been located and replaced on the rebuilt structure...
, Porto Novo, and disorganised tribes from the north. Its result was the creation of three de facto tribal zones: the north, southeast, and southwest. This regionalism permeated into the armed forces, compounded by divisions of officers into cliques based on education. Hachème was a member of what Decalo called the Abomey clique, which also included prominent offices Philippe Aho, Jean-Baptiste Hachème
Jean-Baptiste Hachème
Major Jean-Baptiste Hachème was a Beninese military officer and politician. He was most active when his country was known as Dahomey. Of Fon origins, he entered the national political stage in 1963, when he quelled riots started by supporters of former president Hubert Maga...
, and Benoit Adandejan.
He was the original head of the Comité Militare de Vigilance when it was established on April 6, 1967, which was set up to administer President Christophe Soglo
Christophe Soglo
Christophe Soglo was a Beninese military officer and political leader and one of the most important figures in Benin's period of political instability and frequent, though usually bloodless, coups during the 1960s.-Biography:...
's regime. Maurice Kouandété
Maurice Kouandété
Iropa Maurice Kouandété was a military officer and politician in Benin . He was born to Somba parents in the Gaba District of Dahomey. Kouandété enrolled in the army in his late teens. Over the years, he became popular among junior soldiers in the north and gained the contempt of those in the south...
was established as his vice president. As corruption began to seep in, the Comite lost its value. After Kouandete usurped the presidency on December 17, Sinzogan was placed under house arrest at the Ghezo military camp until December 19.
Political career
That day, Sinzogan was appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs, his first political post, which he held until July 1968. In September, he was named the leader of the national police. He held that office until August 1970, during which time he was given the post of president of the gendarmerie.On December 10, 1969, Kouandété staged another coup, against then-president Emile Derlin Zinsou
Emile Derlin Zinsou
Emile Derlin Zinsou is a Beninese political figure who was the President of Dahomey from 17 July 1968 until 10 December 1969, supported by the military regime that took power in 1967. Zinsou also served in the French senate from 1955 to 1958. He was previously Minister of Foreign Affairs from...
. A Military Directorate was formed on December 13 to administer Dahomey in the aftermath. Sinzogan was a member, the head of the ministries of Justice, Foreign Affairs, and Education. When Hubert Maga
Hubert Maga
Coutoucou Hubert Maga was a politician from Dahomey .Dahomey was renamed Benin in 1975. See . He arose on a political scene where one's power was dictated by what region in Dahomey they lived...
was proclaimed head of a Presidential Council on May 7, 1970, Sinzogan lost that post.
Sinzogan was alternate judge of the military trial convened in 1972 to address an attempted coup that Kouandété tried to perpetrate. He handed the death penalty to Kouandété and two of his companions. In October, when Mathieu Kérékou
Mathieu Kérékou
Mathieu Kérékou, was President of Benin from 1972 to 1991 and again from 1996 to 2006. After seizing power in a military coup, he ruled the country for 17 years, for most of that time under an officially Marxist-Leninist ideology, before he was stripped of his powers by the National Conference of...
seized power in a coup, Sinzogan was removed from the military and appointed commissioner of the National Society of the Development of the Forest (S.N.A.F.O.R.). Academic Samuel Decalo described the man as "too timid to mount a coup" during the 1960s and 1970s, being "one of Dahomey's few senior officers not to attempt to."