The President of Benin Republic, Patrice Talon, has broken his silence after surviving an attempted coup on Sunday.
Speaking on national television, Talon assured citizens that “the situation is totally under control” and blamed the failed takeover on “a small group of soldiers.”
In a televised broadcast several hours earlier, a group of soldiers led by Lieutenant-Colonel Pascal Tigri announced that they had ousted Talon from power.
The troops said on state television that they had met and decided that “Mr Patrice Talon is removed from office as president of the republic.”
The group of soldiers, which called itself the “Military Committee for Refoundation” (CMR), also announced the closure of borders and the suspension of political parties.
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The announcement sparked tension across the West African nation, prompting Nigeria to deploy military aircraft.
Huge explosions were later heard in the late afternoon, believed to have resulted from an airstrike.
Benin Republic is not the first West African country to experience a coup in recent times, and the latest development has heightened fears that regional security could deteriorate further. [TheNiche]
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