A coup attempt has been aborted in Sao Tome and Principe, according to Patrice Trovoada, the Prime Minister of the African island country.
Newsbreak.ng reports that military barracks came under attack early on Friday, Trovoada said at a news briefing aired on private broadcaster Radio Somos Todos Primos.
“We were targeted by an attempted coup, which began around 00:40 [00:40 GMT] and was completed … shortly after 06:00 [06:00 GMT],” he said.
At least six people have reportedly been detained.
According to Trovoada, four attackers were detained after the coup attempt.
A former president of the National Assembly, Delfim Neves, was arrested on Friday morning, and a former soldier, Arlecio Costa, was also detained in relation to the coup, the prime minister stated.
São Tomé and Príncipe is an archipelago of just over 1,000 square kilometers in the Gulf of Guinea and one of the smallest economies in Africa.
It has been relatively stable since an attempted military coup against the government of President Fradique de Menezes in 2003.
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