Alphonse Alley - Later Life

Later Life

After Alley was retired from the presidency, he was purged from combat in the army and was assigned the new post of military attaché in Washington, D.C, an appointment he refused to accept. General Etienne Eyadema, the president of neighboring Togo, thought that this "serve right, for being stupid enough to give power back to the politicians. Don't think I'm ever going to be that dumb." Alley was discharged from the armed forces altogether in September, with Kouandété taking his place as Chief of Staff.

On July 11, 1969, Kouandété accused Alley of plotting to kidnap and murder him. Facing the death penalty, Alley was sentenced to ten years of hard labor at an open trial held on October 4. Zinsou had intervened for Alley, and it strained relations between the president and Kouandété. The latter decided to lead another coup on December 10. In the aftermath, Alley was released from incarceration and reinstated in the army. In July 1968, he was named Secretary General of National Defence. Kouandété ended up becoming Alley's adjutant.

In 1971, Alley allowed Togolese refugee Noe Kutuklui protection in Dahomey, despite official government policy to the contrary. On October 26, 1972, Mathieu Kérékou seized power in a coup. He ended Alley's military career, as well as that of every other senior officer, and named him commissioner of the National Oil Wells (SNADAH), a role with very little responsibiity. Kérékou accused Alley of plotting against him on February 28, 1973, and sentenced him to 20 years in prison. He 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, 1967," as the official press release states.

Alley died on March 28, 1987. He was survived by his son, Zacharie. Plans for a mausoleum are in the works, decades after his death.