Another coup in Africa
Military declares takeover of power in Gabon
8/30/2023 7:09 am
After the coup in Niger a few weeks ago, the military in Gabon has now also announced that it will take power in the Central African country. A group of soldiers and police officers speaks on state television about the “end of the current regime”.
A few days after the controversial elections in Gabon, soldiers say they overthrew President Ali Bongo’s government. A group of high-ranking officers announced on the Gabon24 television channel that they had taken power in the African country.
The recent elections last Saturday were not credible and the results were being annulled, the military said. The state institutions have been dissolved and the borders closed until further notice. The government could not immediately be reached for comment.
Just a short time before, the electoral commission had declared Bongo the winner of the presidential election. Bongo received 64.27 percent of the votes in the vote that took place on Saturday. Bongo’s family has ruled the oil-rich country of 2.3 million people for 56 years. For the first time, the President, Parliament and the municipal level were elected at the same time.
Gunshots in Capital Libreville
The military justified the step with the “irresponsible, unpredictable governance” that has led to a “continuous decline in social cohesion” that threatens to plunge the country “into chaos”. They stated that they spoke for the “Committee on Transition and Institutional Restoration”. Journalists from the AFP news agency reported shots in the capital, Libreville.
In July, officers of the Presidential Guard arrested President Mohamed Bazoum in Niger and declared him ousted. The commander of the Presidential Guard, General Abdourahamane Tiani, then proclaimed himself the new ruler. Shortly after Tiani took power as de facto president, the putschists suspended the constitution and dissolved all constitutional institutions.