Gabon Military Officers overthrows President Ali Bongo

President Ali Bongo of Gabon has been overthrown and detained by the country’s military officers ending his 53 years in power.. According to the reports coming from Reuters News. ” Military officers in oil-producing Gabon said they had seized power on Wednesday and had put President Ali Bongo under house arrest, stepping in minutes after the Central African state’s election body announced he had won a third term. The officers who said they represented the armed forces declared on television that the election results were cancelled, borders were closed and state institutions were dissolved, after a tense vote that was set to extend the Bongo family’s more than half century in power.”

Brice Oligui Nguema who is among the military officers, “who in a video appeared to be hailed as their leader, told French newspaper Le Monde that he and other generals would meet on Wednesday to select someone to head the transitional government. Hundreds of people on the streets of the Gabonese capital celebrated the military’s intervention, while France, Gabon’s former colonial ruler which has troops stationed in the African nation, condemned the coup.”

An image taken from the Gabon 24 television channel on Wednesday showing military officers announcing that they had seized power.Credit…Gabon 24, via Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

“A group of military officers said they had seized power in the oil-rich Central African nation of Gabon early on Wednesday, overturning the results of a disputed election that returned the incumbent, President Ali Bongo Ondimba, for a third term in office. Appearing on state-run TV hours after Mr. Bongo was declared the winner of last weekend’s vote, the officers annulled the result, suspended the government and closed Gabon’s borders until further notice. Bursts of gunfire were heard in the capital, Libreville, from the vicinity of the presidential residence soon after the announcement. Hours later Mr. Bongo, one of France’s closest allies in Africa, appeared in a video posted to social media, pleading for international help. “I don’t know what’s happening,” said Mr. Bongo, 64, speaking from a room filled with gilded furniture at his residence. “I’m calling on you to make noise, to make noise, to make noise — really.” (New York Times)

In the early hours of Wednesday morning, twelve army officers appeared on national television to announce they had cancelled Gabon's elections, dissolved all state institutions and closed the country’s borders. Here's their announcement. pic.twitter.com/vL9RUlaM8N

— BBC News Africa (@BBCAfrica) August 30, 2023