Benin's Interior Minister Alassane Seidou said the country's armed forces had thwarted an attempted coup, after a group of soldiers appeared on national television claiming to have seized power. The soldiers announced they had ousted President Patrice Talon, who is due to step down next April after 10 years in office. The country's presidency says President Talon is safe, while Foreign Minister Shegun Adjadi Bakari confirmed the coup attempt but stressed that the situation is under control. West Africa's regional bloc ECOWAS has strongly condemned the attempted coup and said it would support government efforts to restore order.