COTONOU, Dec 7 (Reuters) - Benin President Patrice Talon said on Sunday that the West African nation's government and armed forces had thwarted a coup attempt by a group of soldiers and vowed to punish them.
Talon's announcement on Sunday evening came about 12 hours after gunfire first rang out in several neighbourhoods of Cotonou, the country's biggest city and commercial hub, and soldiers went on state television to say they had removed Talon from power.
