Army opens fire in clashes with protesters

COTONOU: Soldiers opened fire during clashes with protesters in the West African country of Benin on Friday, as violence erupted after days of demonstrations following controversial parliamentary elections in April, witnesses said. "Security forces are present everywhere in the town and on the main road, to try to clear the barricades" said a local politician, speaking on condition of anonymity, of violence in the towns of Save and Tchaourou, in central Benin. "The army is firing live ammunition, the violence is extreme." The region is the home base of former president Thomas Boni Yayi, an outspoken critic of the government.