Benin's government said on Sunday it had thwarted an attempted coup, just hours after a group of soldiers announced on state television that they had ousted President Patrice Talon.

Military and security sources said that around a dozen soldiers had been arrested, including those behind the coup bid.

The west Africa region has experienced a number of coups in recent years, including in Benin's northern neighbours Niger and Burkina Faso, as well as Mali, Guinea and, most recently, Guinea-Bissau.

Talon is due to hand over power in April next year after 10 years in office marked by solid economic growth but also a surge in jihadist violence.

Early on Sunday, soldiers calling themselves the "Military Committee for Refoundation" (CMR), announced on state television that they had met and decided that "Mr Patrice Talon is removed from office as president of the republic."

Shortly after the announcement, however, a source close to Talon said the president was safe and condemned the coup plotters as "a small group of people who only control the television."

"The regular army is regaining control. The city (Cotonou) and the country are completely secure," said the source.

"It's just a matter of time before everything returns to normal. The clean-up is progressing well."

Benin's Interior Minister Alassane Seidou described the soldiers' announcement as "a mutiny" aimed at "destabilising the country and its institutions."

"Faced with this situation, the Beninese Armed Forces and their leadership maintained control of the situation and foiled the attempt," he added. (AFP)