Benin President Patrice Talon said on Sunday (December 7) that the West African nation's government and armed forces had thwarted a coup attempt by a group of soldiers and vowed to punish them.

Talon's announcement on Sunday (December 7) evening came about 12 hours after gunfire first rang out in several neighbourhoods of Cotonou, the country's biggest city and commercial hub, and soldiers went on state television to say they had removed Talon from power.

Forces loyal to Talon "stood firm, recaptured our positions, and cleared the last pockets of resistance held by the mutineers," Talon said in his own televised statement.

"This commitment and mobilisation enabled us to defeat these adventurers and to prevent the worst for our country... This treachery will not go unpunished."

Talon sa

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