After 43 years of dedicated service, Air Force General Bertin Bada has officially left the ranks of the Bénin armed forces. A solemn ceremony took place on Tuesday, June 30, 2026, at the Cotonou Air Base to mark the occasion. Military honours, the national flag salute, and a troop review punctuated the farewell of the highest-ranking officer in the army.

The event was attended by the chief of general staff of the Bénin armed forces, General Fructueux Gbaguidi, and the deputy minister for national defence, Gildas Agonkan. Both praised a career defined by rigour and commitment.

Promoted to the rank of five-star general on February 9, 2026, Bertin Bada was subsequently appointed defence and security advisor to President Romuald Wadagni. He also previously served as director of the military cabinet under former President Patrice Talon.

Now 63 years old, General Bada leaves the military institution after an intense career, also marked by a personal tragedy during the attempted coup d’état of December 7, 2025, in which he lost his wife.