Man in an African republic (5)

I believe the answer is:

benin

'an african republic' is the definition.
(country in Africa)

'man in' is the wordplay.
'man' becomes 'ben' ().
'ben'+'in'='BENIN'

(Other definitions for benin that I've seen before include "part of Africa" , "Country W. of Nigeria" , "French-speaking West African country" , "West African state, formerly called Dahomey" , "Nation" .)

I've seen this clue in The Irish Independent.

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