A group of senior military officers in Gabon while appearing on national television on Wednesday, August 30 morning said they have seized power in the country.
The Senior Gabonese military officers made this announcement shortly after the incumbent President Ali Bongo Ondimba was announced winner of the election.
“We have decided to defend the peace by putting an end to the current regime,” the officers said.
Moreover, the officers who revealed that they represented the views of all security and defence forces in Gabon cancelled the election results, dissolved all government institutions and indefinitely closed all borders.
A Reuters reporter said loud sounds of gunfire could be heard in Gabon’s capital Libreville after the television announcement by the military officers.
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Furthermore, the government of the OPEC-member nation has not issued any comment.
Ali Bongo was seeking for a third term in office after serving as Gabon’s President for 14 years.
Elected in 2009, Bongo has been serving as the third president of Gabon a position he took over after the country’s second President and his late father Benard Bongo.
Nonetheless, Benard Bongo ruled the country for 42 years until his death in 2009.
Niger Coup
If Successful, the Gabonese military coup will not be the first in the African Continent.
In July, Niger military took over the country’s administration and detained President Mohamed Bazoum and his family.
As such, senior military officers in the country formed a junta named the National Council for the Safeguarding of the Homeland.
Also Read: Niger Suspended from African Union
Niger’s coup has widely been condemned by key stakeholders including ECOWAS, France, United States and the European Union.
Furthermore, ECOWAS during a summit considered military intervention and threatened sanctions to pressure the council to reinstate President Bazoum.
Nevertheless, some African countries including Burkina Faso, Guinea and Mali declared support for Niger while also refusing to apply any sanctions declared on the country.
