Benin's President Patrice Talonhas vowed to prosecute and punish those responsible for the pre-election violence that erupted in the country's central region.
A day after the country’s electoral commission announced a landslide victory for the incumbent, he visited a hospital where members of the police force were on admission having been injured during pre-election protests. The violence that erupted in several communes in the centre of the country, a stronghold of former president Thomas Boni Yayi, resulted in road blocks and several injuries. Some election materials were also transported by air because of the road blocks.
The protesters, many of them hunters, were unhappy about what they called the lack of a credible opposition to Sunday's vote. They were dispersed by the security forces using tear gas and then live ammunition.
While President Talon is yet to give a speech thanking his supporters for the vote of confidence, he did speak during Wednesday’s hospital visit. Listen