Benin's interior minister on Sunday said that the army had thwarted an attempted coup by a group of soldiers. President Patrice Talon's entourage said he was safe while the regular army said it had regained control.
Around a dozen soldiers have been arrested in Benin following an attempted coup, including the ringleaders of the foiled operation, military and security sources told French news agency AFP.
One source said 13 arrests had been made, with another adding that all the detainees were soldiers in active service except one who was ex-military.
Earlier, Benin's Interior Minister Alassane Seidou released a statement confirming that "a small group of soldiers launched a mutiny with the aim of destabilising the country and its institutions."
"Faced with this situation, the Beninese Armed Forces and their leadership maintained control of the situation and foiled the attempt," he added.
Condemnation from AU, Ecowas
The African Union (AU), the African continent’s main political and diplomatic body, on Sunday “strongly and unequivocally” condemned the attempted coup in Benin, a statement from AU Commission Chairman Mahmoud Ali Yousouf said.
The West African bloc Ecowas also "strongly condemned the coup" and said it would support efforts by the government to restore order.
Witnesses reported hearing the sound of gunfire in Benin's economic capital Cotonou on Sunday morning, after a military group announced that they had ousted President Patrice Talon.
Soldiers calling themselves the "Military Committee for Refoundation" (CMR), said on state television that they had met and decided that "Mr Patrice Talon is removed from office as president of the republic".The signal was cut later in the morning.
They justified the attempted power grab by citing the "continuous deterioration of the security situation in northern Benin".
They said the "neglect of soldiers killed in action and their families left to fend for themselves" as well as "unjust promotions at the expense of the most deserving" were also motivations.
Clean-up in progress
Shortly after their announcement, Talon's entourage told AFP the president was safe, while the regular army said it had regained control, according to a military source.
"This is a small group of people who only control the television. The regular army is regaining control. The city (Cotonou) and the country are completely secure," the presidential team said.
"It's just a matter of time before everything returns to normal. The clean-up is progressing well."
Talon, a 67-year-old former businessman dubbed the "cotton king of Cotonou", is due to hand over power in April next year after 10 years in office marked by solid economic growth but also a surge in jihadist violence.
The main opposition party has been excluded from the race to succeed him, and instead the ruling party will vie for power against a so-called "moderate" opposition.
Talon has been praised for bringing economic development to Benin but is regularly accused by his critics of authoritarianism.
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History marked by coups
A military source confirmed that the situation was "under control" and the coup plotters had not taken either Talon's residence or the presidential offices.
The French Embassy had said on social media platform X that "gunfire was reported at Camp Guezo" near the president's official residence in the economic capital.
It urged French citizens to remain indoors for security.
An AFP journalist in Cotonou said soldiers were blocking access to the presidency and state television.
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Access to several other areas, including the five-star Sofitel in Cotonou and districts housing international institutions, were also blocked.
But there was no military presence reported at the airport and the rest of the city, and residents were going about their business.
Benin's political history has been marked by several coups and attempted coups since its independence from France in 1960.
Other countries in West Africa have experienced coups in recent years, including in Benin's northern neighbours Niger and Burkina Faso, as well as Mali, Guinea and, most recently, Guinea-Bissau.
(with AFP)
