COTONOU, Benin: Benin's interior minister said on Facebook that a coup attempt by some soldiers on December 7 has been foiled.

He said a small group of soldiers tried to start a mutiny early in the morning on December 7 to destabilize the country, but the army stayed loyal to the government.

Earlier, soldiers appeared on state TV and said they had removed the president and dissolved all government institutions. They called themselves the Military Committee for Refoundation and named Lt. Col. Pascal Tigri as their leader.

Benin has had several coups since its independence from France in 1960, but the country has mostly been stable since 1991.

There has been no official news about President Patrice Talon since gunshots were heard near his residence. State TV and radio were cut for a while but are working again now.

The West African regional group ECOWAS strongly condemned the coup attempt and said it supports Benin's government and people.

Talon has been president since 2016 and is expected to leave office next April after the election. His party's candidate, former Finance Minister Romuald Wadagni, is the favorite to win. The electoral commission blocked opposition candidate Renaud Agbodjo for failing to meet the sponsorship requirement.

Earlier this year, two allies of Talon were sentenced to 20 years in prison for another alleged coup plot. Last month, lawmakers extended the presidential term from five to seven years, but the two-term limit remained unchanged.

This attempted coup is the latest in a series of military takeovers in West Africa. Recently, a coup in Guinea-Bissau removed President Umaro Embalo after a disputed election.