(MENAFN) According to general reports, President Patrice Talon of Benin confirmed on Sunday that the situation in the country is “totally under control” and encouraged citizens to resume their normal routines following a coup attempt.

Addressing the nation via state broadcaster, Talon recalled that a “small group of soldiers… started a mutiny to attack republican institutions and destabilize the nation by challenging the democratic order.” He said that, in his capacity as president and supreme chief of the armed forces, he had taken all necessary measures to secure the country.

The president expressed gratitude to army officials who remained “republican and loyal to the country” and warned that the coup attempt “will not go unpunished.”

Earlier reports noted that a faction of soldiers had claimed on state television that they had removed Talon from office and appointed Lt. Col. Pascal Tigri to head a newly formed “Military Committee for Refoundation.” Interior Minister Alassane Seidou, however, stated that the attempt by “a small group of soldiers” had been thwarted, urging the public to continue daily life as usual.

Local sources indicate that defense and security forces are actively searching for Tigri.

Observers also noted that this attempted coup comes shortly after a military takeover in Guinea-Bissau in late November, which installed Gen. Horta Inta-A as transitional president.

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