Sawt Falasteen - Benin govt says 'foiled' coup attempt

West Africa has experienced a number of coups in recent years, including in Benin's northern neighbours Niger and Burkina Faso, as well as Mali, Guinea and, most recently, Guinea-Bissau.

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.

Early on Sunday, 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".

But shortly after the announcement, a source close to Talon told AFP the president was safe and condemned the coup plotters as "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," they said. "It's just a matter of time before everything returns to normal. The clean-up is progressing well."

On the streets of Cotonou, the situation remained unclear by midday on Sunday. AFP correspondents reported hearing gunfire while soldiers blocked access to the presidential offices, even as residents elsewhere went about their business.

Interior Minister Alassane Seidou described the soldiers' announcement as "a mutiny" aimed at "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.

- 'Under control' -

On television, eight soldiers with assault rifles, wearing berets of various colours and calling themselves the "Military Committee for Refoundation" (CMR), proclaimed a lieutenant colonel "president of the CMR".

They justified the attempted power grab by citing the "continuous deterioration of the security situation in northern Benin", 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".

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.

An AFP journalist in the economic capital said soldiers were blocking access to the presidency and state television.

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.

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), of which Benin is a member, called the soldiers' actions "unconstitutional" and a "subversion of the will of the Beninese people".

Benin's political history has been marked by several coups and attempted coups since its independence from France in 1960.

Talon, who came to power in 2016, is due to reach the end of his second term in 2026, the maximum allowed by the constitution.

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.

A.Suleiman--SF-PST