Benin's President Patrice Talon attends a joint declaration with French President at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France, April 26, 2016. REUTERS/Philippe Wojazer/File Photo
(New York, NY) – A group of military soldiers took to state TV to announce a new government in the West African nation. The so-called Military Committee for Refoundation took to national airwaves announcing the removal of the current president and state institutions. However, the interior minister of the country, Alassane Seidou, said the Beninese Armed Forces thwarted the mutiny attempt.
After the country gained independence from French rule in 1960, there have been several coups. Then in 1991, the country saw a new political stability following a coup led by the People’s Revolutionary Party that resulted in the roughly 10 year reign of Marxist-Leninist Mathieu Kérékou. There is no official word on the current President who was elected in 2016, President Patrice Talon. There were reports of gunshots heard by the presidential residence.
