Benin's armed forces foil attempted mutiny, says interior minister
Identifying themselves as the Military Committee for Refoundation, the soldiers declared on Sunday that they had removed the president and disbanded all state institutions.
Benin's armed forces have foiled an attempted mutiny aimed at destabilising the state and its institutions, Minister of Interior and Public Security Alassane Seidou said in a statement on Sunday.
Seidou made the remarks after a group of soldiers announced earlier in the day on state broadcaster Benin TV that President Patrice Talon had been "removed from office."
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According to the minister, the armed forces and their command, "faithful to their oath," responded in a republican manner and were able to keep the situation under control, thwarting the attempt. The government called on the public to continue their activities as normal.
A group of soldiers had earlier appeared on Benin’s state television to announce the dissolution of the government in what appears to be the latest in a string of coups across West Africa.
Identifying themselves as the Military Committee for Refoundation, the soldiers declared on Sunday that they had removed the president and disbanded all state institutions.
According to the media outlet TchadOne, President Patrice Talon’s residence in the Le Guézo neighbourhood was attacked by military personnel reportedly led by Lieutenant Colonel Pascal Tigri.
Later in the morning, Lt Col Tigri appeared on national television, now believed to be under military control, proclaiming himself the “chairman of the military re-establishment committee”.
President Talon had been in power since 2016 and was due to step down next April after the presidential election.
Last month, Benin’s legislators voted to extend the presidential term from five to seven years, renewable once, in a move passed less than six months before next year’s election.
The move comes ahead of April’s presidential poll, in which President Patrice Talon’s preferred successor, Finance Minister Romuald Wadagni, is expected to face only one challenger after the electoral commission disqualified the main opposition candidate for failing to secure the required number of sponsorships.
The development marks the latest in a series of military takeovers that have shaken West Africa.
Only last week, Guinea-Bissau witnessed its own coup, which ousted former President Umaro Embaló following a disputed election in which both he and the opposition candidate claimed victory.
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