Benin foils a coup attempt, arresting military officers
Ba Thi, VOV correspondent in Egypt -
(VOVWORLD) - Benin's armed forces foiled an attempted coup to overthrow the state and its institutions, Minister of Interior and Public Security Alassane Seidou said in a statement on Sunday, adding many related people were arrested.
The statement was made after a group of soldiers identifying themselves as the "Military Committee for the Refoundation (CMR)," convened and decided that "Mr. Patrice Talon is dismissed from his functions as president of the republic."
They appointed Lt. Col. Pascal Tigri to lead a new “Military Committee for Refoundation.”
Beninese Foreign Minister Olushegun Adjadi Bakari said the coup group controlled the state television station for only a few minutes. Government spokesperson Wilfried Leandre Houngbedji said security forces had arrested 14 soldiers but did not release their identities.
Ba Thi, VOV correspondent in Egypt