Gabon Coup: All You Need To Know

A number of Gabonese senior military officers on live television have declared that they have seized power.

According to them, the Gabonese general election lacks credibility. They claim to represent all of Gabon’s security and defence forces.

These senior military officers have declared the general election cancelled, all Gabone borders closed until further notice, and have dissolved the states’ institution. Reports also indicate sounds of loud gunfire in the capital, Libreville after the television appearance.

“In the name of the Gabonese people … we have decided to defend the peace by putting an end to the current regime,” the officers said on television.

Tensions were high after Saturday’s vote to elect a new president, parliament, and legislature, with Bongo trying to prolong his family’s 56-year rule while the opposition called for change in this oil-rich, cocoa-producing but impoverished country.

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The absence of international monitors, the suspension of several foreign channels, and the government’s decision to shut down the internet and impose a nationwide night-time curfew after the election raised questions about the fairness of the electoral process.

As an officer read out a joint statement on TV, a dozen or so men in military uniforms and berets stood quietly behind him. They said they were part of the committee on the transition and restoration of institutions.

They said the government, Senate, National Assembly, Constitutional Court, and election body had all been dissolved. If the coup is successful, it’ll be the eighth in West and Central African countries since 2020.

There have been coups in Malians, Guineans, Burkinese, Chadans, and Niger, all of which have had a negative effect on democracy.

The military seized power in Niger in July, sending shock waves throughout the Sahel region and drawing in regional powers with important strategic interests.

Gabon’s 54-year-old Bongo, who assumed the presidency from his father Omar in 2009, faced 18 challengers, with six of them supported by the pro-Ossa party in an attempt to tighten the race. In 2016, Bongo faced violent street protests over his second term, which he lost.

The parliament building was set ablaze during the protests, and the government shut down the internet for several days.