MBABANE:Soldiers in the West African nation of Benin have announced on National TV that they have ousted President Patrice Talon and seized power, the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) reported on Sunday.
It has been reported that, a message from the French embassy in Benin said gunfire had been reported near the residence of the president in the main city of Cotonou.
“The soldiers also announced a suspension of the constitution, the closure of all land borders as well as the country’s airspace,” reads the BBC report in part.
But Benin’s Interior Minister Alassane Seidou released a statement saying the country’s armed forces have thwarted an attempted coup.
Benin President Patrice Talon ousted by soldiers(pic:Benin State TV).