Military personnel in Benin on Sunday announced that they had ousted President Patrice Talon, although his entourage said he was safe and the army was regaining control.
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”.
The announcement follows two coups in Madagascar and Guinea-Bissau in as many months. Benin is bordered in the north by Niger and Burkina Faso, which have also seen military takeovers.
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The French Embassy said on X that “gunfire was reported at Camp Guezo” near the president’s official residence in the economic capital.
It urged French citizens to remain indoors for security.