Porto-Novo
\nA group of soldiers in the West African nation of Benin claimed on national television to have seized power on Sunday, though the government said forces loyal to President Patrice Talon were working to foil the coup plot.
\nThe move was latest threat to democratic norms in the region, coming after a coup in Guinea-Bissau last month marked the ninth in West and Central Africa since 2020.
\nAt least eight soldiers, several wearing helmets, went on state television to announce that a military committee led by Colonel Tigri Pascal had taken over and was dissolving national institutions, suspending the constitution and closing air, land and maritime borders.
\n\u201cThe army solemnly commits to give the Beninese people the hope of a truly new era, where fraternity, justice and work prevail,\u201d said a statement read by one of the soldiers. \u201cThe constitution is suspended. All institutions are dissolved (and) political party activities suspended until further notice,\u201d the soldiers said.
\nForeign Minister Olushegun Adjadi Bakari has said that \u201ca small group\u201d of soldiers had attempted to overthrow the government but that forces loyal to Talon were working to restore order. \u201cThere is an attempt but the situation is under control. A large part of the army is still loyalist and we are taking over the situation,\u201d he said.
\nHe said the coup plotters only had control of state TV, and the signal was cut later Sunday morning.
\nGunfire could also be heard in several neighbourhoods of Cotonou, the country\u2019s largest city and economic hub, as residents were trying to make their way to church early Sunday morning.
\nThe French embassy said on Facebook that gunfire had been reported near Talon\u2019s residence in Cotonou and urged citizens to stay at home.
\nThe apparent coup came as Benin was preparing for a presidential election in April that would mark the end of the tenure of incumbent Talon, in power since 2016.
\nBenin\u2019s ruling coalition had nominated Finance Minister Romuald Wadagni to be its candidate, positioning a man seen as a key architect of its economic policies to pursue the administration\u2019s current reform agenda if elected. Talon\u2019s decision to step down after two terms was a rare move in the West and Central Africa region where democratic norms are increasingly under pressure.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Porto-Novo A group of soldiers in the West African nation of Benin claimed on national television to have seized power on Sunday, though the government said forces loyal to President Patrice Talon were working to foil the coup plot. The move was latest threat to democratic norms in the region, coming after a coup in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":518781,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-518755","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-world"],"yoast_head":"\n