By Our Reporter
Benin Republic Presidency has said that President Patrice Talon is safe and the "regular" Army is regaining control, after a group of soldiers, which labels itself the Military Committee for Refoundation, announced a coup early Sunday.
Gunshots were heard near Talon’s residence as armoured vehicles deployed in the presidential palace patrolled the precinct.
The coupists, during a broadcast on Benin’s state TV early on Sunday, said the president and all political office folders had been effectively removed, just as they also announced dissolution of all state institutions as well as closure of land, the sea and air border.
Talon has been on the saddle since 2016 and had promised to leave office in April 2026 after the presidential poll.
In September 2024, Djimon Tevoedjre, commander of the Republican Guard and head of Talon’s security, was arrested following an attempted coup.
Reacting to the development, Benin Republic Presidency, in a statement, described the soldiers who announced the takeover of power as "a small group of people who only control the television."
It said the regular army was regaining control, adding that "the city and the country are completely secure."
West Africa has witnessed an uptick in successful and foiled coup attempts since 2020.
Last month, military officers in Guinea-Bissau captured power after President Umaro Embaló, who was seeking re-election, and Fernando Dias, his main opponent, both declared victory in the country’s election even though the electoral commission had not released official results.
Other West African states under military rule include Burkina Faso (2022), Guinea (2021), Mali (2020) and Niger (2023).
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