Jean-Baptiste Hachème
Encyclopedia
Major Jean-Baptiste Hachème (fl.
1960s) was a Benin
ese 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
. Henceforth he served under various government positions, including briefly the de facto head of Dahomey.
He was dismissed from the army twice, mainly due to his residence in the south. Hachème was brought back shortly thereafter on both occasions, being assigned small or largely non-functioning positions. Along with Alphonse Alley and Pascal Chabi Kao, Hachème was accused of planning a coup against President Mathieu Kérékou
on February 28, 1973 and was imprisoned with 20 years of hard labor. He was released in 1984.
back into power at his hometown, Parakou
. Academic Samuel Decalo described Hachème's crushing of the demonstrations as "brutal".
His 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, Benoit Sinzogan
, and Benoit Adandejan.
He was briefly head of the Comite Militare de Vigilance in 1967, which was set up to administer President Christophe Soglo
's regime. When Maurice Kouandete
seized the presidency later that year, Hachème was appointed chairman of his interim government, the Comite Militaire Revolutionaire, and served as de facto head of state from December 18, 1967 to December 19, 1967. Emile Derlin Zinsou
was appointed president in August 1968, and with the act the Comite lost its value and was dismissed.
Hachème, however, did not witness the dissolution of the Comite. Alleged to have plotted againgst Kouandete and Alphonse Alley, Hachème was expelled from the armed forces in January when many southern soldiers were removed, though was brought back shortly afterwards. In mid-1970, Hachème was chosen to be the chief of staff of the Service Civique, a command whose officers did not see service. The Civique was, rather, more agricultural in nature, and served several other roles. Captain Pierre Kadjo Koffi was named his assistant.
led a coup and seized power, Hachème was again dismissed from the army as well as every other senior officer from the south. He was instead given the post of Commissioner of Dahomey's Ceramic Crafts (SONAC), a role with very little responsibiity
. Along with Alley and Pascal Chabi Kao, Hachème was accused of planning a coup against Kérékou on February 28, 1973 and was imprisoned with 20 years of hard labor. Hachème was released on amnesty
on August 1, 1984, as well as all other political detainees besides those involved in the "ignoble and barbarous imperialist armed aggression of Sunday, January 16, 1977."
Floruit
Floruit , abbreviated fl. , is a Latin verb meaning "flourished", denoting the period of time during which something was active...
1960s) was a Benin
Benin
Benin , officially the Republic of Benin, is a country in West Africa. It borders Togo to the west, Nigeria to the east and Burkina Faso and Niger to the north. Its small southern coastline on the Bight of Benin is where a majority of the population is located...
ese military officer and politician. He was most active when his country was known as Dahomey
Dahomey
Dahomey was a country in west Africa in what is now the Republic of Benin. The Kingdom of Dahomey was a powerful west African state that was founded in the seventeenth century and survived until 1894. From 1894 until 1960 Dahomey was a part of French West Africa. The independent Republic of Dahomey...
. Of 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...
origins, he entered the national political stage in 1963, when he quelled riots started by supporters of former president 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...
. Henceforth he served under various government positions, including briefly the de facto head of Dahomey.
He was dismissed from the army twice, mainly due to his residence in the south. Hachème was brought back shortly thereafter on both occasions, being assigned small or largely non-functioning positions. Along with Alphonse Alley and Pascal Chabi Kao, Hachème was accused of planning a coup against President 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...
on February 28, 1973 and was imprisoned with 20 years of hard labor. He was released in 1984.
Military career
Hachème was of Fon origins. After entering the military, he attained the rank of major. He entered the national political stage in 1963, when he quelled riots trying to bring former president Hubert MagaHubert 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...
back into power at his hometown, Parakou
Parakou
Parakou is the largest city in eastern Benin, with an estimated population of around 188,853 people, and capital of the Borgou Department. The mayor as of 2008 was Samou Seidou Adambi and administratively the commune of Parakou makes up one of Benin's 77 communes.-Economy:Parakou lies on the main...
. Academic Samuel Decalo described Hachème's crushing of the demonstrations as "brutal".
His 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, Benoit Sinzogan
Benoît Sinzogan
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 army from 1965 to 1967...
, and Benoit Adandejan.
He was briefly head of the Comite Militare de Vigilance in 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. When Maurice Kouandete
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...
seized the presidency later that year, Hachème was appointed chairman of his interim government, the Comite Militaire Revolutionaire, and served as de facto head of state from December 18, 1967 to December 19, 1967. 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...
was appointed president in August 1968, and with the act the Comite lost its value and was dismissed.
Hachème, however, did not witness the dissolution of the Comite. Alleged to have plotted againgst Kouandete and Alphonse Alley, Hachème was expelled from the armed forces in January when many southern soldiers were removed, though was brought back shortly afterwards. In mid-1970, Hachème was chosen to be the chief of staff of the Service Civique, a command whose officers did not see service. The Civique was, rather, more agricultural in nature, and served several other roles. Captain Pierre Kadjo Koffi was named his assistant.
Later life
In October 1972, when Mathieu KérékouMathieu 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...
led a coup and seized power, Hachème was again dismissed from the army as well as every other senior officer from the south. He was instead given the post of Commissioner of Dahomey's Ceramic Crafts (SONAC), a role with very little responsibiity
Sinecure
A sinecure means an office that requires or involves little or no responsibility, labour, or active service...
. Along with Alley and Pascal Chabi Kao, Hachème was accused of planning a coup against Kérékou on February 28, 1973 and was imprisoned with 20 years of hard labor. Hachème was released on amnesty
Amnesty
Amnesty is a legislative or executive act by which a state restores those who may have been guilty of an offense against it to the positions of innocent people, without changing the laws defining the offense. It includes more than pardon, in as much as it obliterates all legal remembrance of the...
on August 1, 1984, as well as all other political detainees besides those involved in the "ignoble and barbarous imperialist armed aggression of Sunday, January 16, 1977."