Soldiers from the West African nation of Benin announced on national television that they had overthrown President Patrice Talon and seized power.
A message from the French embassy in Benin said gunfire had been reported near the president’s residence in the main city of Cotonou.
The military also announced the suspension of the Constitution and the closure of all land borders and airspace of the country.
But officials close to the president say he is fine and that the small group of soldiers at the television station did not have the support of the regular army.
“The situation is under control. A large part of the army remains loyal and we are taking charge of the situation,” Foreign Minister Shegun Adjadi Bakari told the Reuters news agency.
An anonymous person from the presidency told the AFP news agency: “This is a small group of people who only control television. The city and the country are completely safe.”
According to the statement read by the military, Lieutenant Colonel Tigri Pascal will head a transitional military council.
They justified their actions by criticizing President Talon’s management of the country.
Talon, 67, will leave office next year after completing his second term, with elections scheduled for April.
A businessman known as the “cotton king”, he first came to power in the 2016 elections. He had promised not to run for a third term and had already named a successor.
The French Embassy has urged its citizens to stay home for their safety.
Benin has been considered one of the most stable democracies in Africa. They are the largest cotton producers on the continent, but are among the poorest countries in the world.
This apparent coup in Benin comes just over a week after Umaro Sissoco Embaló was ousted as president in nearby Guinea-Bissau.
In recent years, there have been several coups in West Africa, including Burkina Faso, Guinea, Mali and Niger, raising fears that the region’s security could worsen.
Benin has seen a rise in jihadist activity in recent years, as groups linked to the Islamic State and Al Qaeda expanded south.
