Presidential election in Benin: one dead during clashes in Save in the center of the country
Protesters in Benin.
AFP - YANICK FOLLY
Text by: RFI Follow
3 min
Tensions in Benin, three days before the presidential election.
In Save, in the center of the country, scattered mobilizations of opponents of President Patrice Talon began during the night from Monday to Tuesday.
The protesters say that the mandate of the head of state ended on April 5 at midnight, the date which marks his five years in power.
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With our special correspondent in Save
,
Magali Lagrange
In Save, the army intervened this Thursday morning, April 8.
At around 7:30 am this morning, army reinforcements arrived in town.
Several vehicles went to unblock the roadblocks that had been installed the day before on this road, which goes to the north of the country, by residents
who challenge President Patrice Talon
.
Several of these residents confide that they do not want Sunday's poll, that they want an inclusive election.
After having unblocked a first blockade on this road, the security forces advanced.
A long line of dozens and dozens of cars and trucks were waiting to pass, when, around 9 a.m., tear gas was fired.
Sounds of gunfire were heard several times, before traffic resumed.
At least one dead
There is no official record of this morning's events.
In the Boni health center, the official claims to have received seven gunshot wounds.
He indicates that one person died, the others were transferred to the city hospital and that all the people he received were civilians.
The mayor of the city was also there.
He claims not to have been warned of the arrival of these military reinforcements and says that he had been in discussions since yesterday with the inhabitants of the city so that the way is unblocked.
The military have now deployed along the city's main road.
Save is currently a dead city, businesses are closed, the streets almost empty, after the events of this morning.
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