Jean-Baptiste Hachème
| Jean-Baptiste Hachème | |
|---|---|
| President of Dahomey | |
|
In office December 18, 1967 – December 19, 1967 |
|
| Preceded by | Christophe Soglo |
| Succeeded by | Alphonse Amadou Alley |
| Personal details | |
| Occupation | military officer |
Major Jean-Baptiste Hachème (born June 24, 1929) 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. 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.
Hachème was of Fon origins and was born in Porto Novo. 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 Maga 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 officers 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.
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