Benin President Patrice Talon said today that the government and armed forces of the West African country have prevented a coup attempt by a group of soldiers, and promised that it will not go unpunished, Reuters reported.
Talon's statement came about 12 hours after shots were first heard in several neighborhoods of the capital Cotonou, the country's largest city and commercial center, and soldiers appeared on state television and announced the removal of the president, the government and the suspension of the activities of the institutions.
The forces loyal to Talon "held firm, regained our positions and eliminated the last pockets of resistance held by the rebels," Talon himself said in a statement on television, assuring that the situation was completely under control. "This determination and mobilization allowed us to defeat these adventurers and prevent the worst for our country... This treason will not go unpunished," he stressed.
Talon also said his thoughts were with the victims of the coup attempt, as well as with the large number of people detained by the fleeing rebels, without giving further details. Reuters could not confirm whether any of the people held by the rebels were dead or taken hostage.
The incident is the latest threat to democratic governance in the region, where the military has seized power in neighboring Niger and Burkina Faso in recent years, as well as in Mali, Guinea and Guinea-Bissau, Reuters reported.
The Benin government said 14 people had been arrested by this afternoon in connection with the coup attempt.
At the request of the Benin government, Nigeria sent air force planes to take control of Benin's airspace to help drive the plotters out of the state television network and the military camp where they had gathered, a statement from the office of Nigerian President Bola Tinubu said.
The Nigerian presidency confirmed late last night that it had carried out airstrikes strikes in Cotonou and has deployed ground troops at Benin's request to "protect constitutional order" and prevent a coup attempt, Agence France-Presse notes.
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the African Union (AU) condemned the incident. In a subsequent statement, ECOWAS said it had ordered the immediate deployment of its forces to Benin, including those from Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Ivory Coast and Ghana.
France also condemned the coup attempt, AFP notes. Late last night, France urged its citizens in Benin to exercise "the utmost caution", citing the "still fragile situation" following the failed coup attempt, in a statement released by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Benin's history is littered with coups and coup attempts. Patrice Talon came to power in 2016 and his second term is due to end next year, when presidential elections will be held.
The presidential vote is expected to be contested by the incumbent and a moderate opposition candidate, but the main opposition party has been eliminated from the race.
Patrice Talon has been praised for Benin's economic development, but is regularly accused by his critics of taking an authoritarian turn in a country hailed for its dynamism.