After 43 years of service, Air Force General Bertin Bada has officially left the ranks of the Bénin army. A solemn ceremony took place at Cotonou Air Base on Tuesday, June 30, 2026, to mark the event. Military honours, a flag salute and a troop review highlighted the farewell of the highest-ranking officer in the armed forces.
The ceremony was attended by the Chief of Staff of the Bénin Armed Forces, General Fructueux Gbaguidi, and the Minister Delegate for National Defence, Gildas Agonkan. Both praised a career characterised by rigour and dedication. Elevated to the rank of five-star general on 9 February 2026, Bertin Bada had subsequently been appointed defence and security advisor to President Romuald Wadagni. He also served as director of the military cabinet under former President Patrice Talon.
At 63 years old, General Bada leaves the military institution after a dense career, also marked by a personal ordeal during the attempted coup d’état of 7 December 2025, in which he lost his wife.
