Benin’s government announced it had foiled a coup attempt carried out by a group of soldiers who seized the national television station at dawn and declared the removal of President Patrice Talon.

Interior Minister Alassane Seidou said the armed forces swiftly regained control, stressing that “only a small group” was involved in the mutiny.

Gunfire was reported near the Guézo camp adjacent to the presidential palace in Cotonou, while the French embassy advised its nationals to remain indoors.

The mutineers identified themselves as the “Military Committee for Reconstruction.”

This incident adds to a growing list of coups that have struck West African nations over the past decade.