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<p>Soldiers in the West African nation of Benin have announced on national TV that they have ousted President Patrice Talon and seized power.</p><div class="cKP9q8SX" style="clear:both;float:left;width:100%;margin:0 0 20px 0;"><script async src="https://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js"></script>

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<p>A message from the French embassy in Benin said gunfire had been reported near the residence of the president in the main city of Cotonou.</p>
<p>The soldiers also announced a suspension of the constitution, the closure of all land borders as well as the country&#8217;s airspace.</p>
<p>According to their statement, Lieutenant-Colonel Tigri Pascal will be leading a military transition council.</p>
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<p>They justified their actions by criticising President Talon&#8217;s management of the country</p>
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<p>Talon, 67, is due to step down next year after completing his second term in office, with elections scheduled for April.</p>
<p>A businessman known as the &#8220;king of cotton&#8221;, he first came to power in an election in 2016. He had promised not to seek a third term and had already named a successor.</p>
<p>The French Embassy has urged its citizens to stay indoors for their safety.</p>
<p>This apparent coup in Benin comes just over a week after Umaro Sissoco Embaló was overthrown as president in nearby Guinea-Bissau.</p>
<p>In recent years, there have been several coups in West Africa, including in Burkina Faso, Guinea, Mali and Niger, heightening fears that the security of the region could worsen.</p>
<p>BBC</p>
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