The military has declared a coup in Gabon, overthrowing President Ali Bongo, who was recently declared the winner of the Saturday election.
Ali Bongo, who assumed power following his father’s passing in 2009, secured a third term in an election marred by opposition claims of substantial disputes.
According to Reuters, tensions were running high amid fears of unrest after Saturday’s presidential, parliamentary, and legislative vote, which saw Bongo seeking to extend his family’s 56-year grip on power while the opposition pushed for change in the oil and cocoa-rich but poverty-stricken nation.
Reuters, Aljazeera and AFP reported that lack of international observers, the suspension of some foreign broadcasts, and the authorities’ decision to cut internet service and impose a night-time curfew nationwide after the poll raised concerns about the transparency of the electoral process.
READ ALSO: How NAF is Mitigating Effects of Climate Change – CAS
Al Jazeera quoted group of senior officers to have appeared on Gabonese national television in Gabon to say they had taken power and annulled Saturday’s election.
“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.
The servicemen, all senior officers, introduced themselves as members of The Committee of Transition and the Restoration of Institutions. The state institutions they declared dissolved included the government, the senate, the national assembly, the constitutional court and the election body.
GOOD EVENING NIGERIA reports that development comes 36 days after military took over power, in Niger Republic following the removal of democratically elected President Mohamed Bazoum.
Both the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the African Union (AU), which have denounced the coup in Niger, are yet to react to the situation in Gabon as of the time of filing this report as developments are still unfolding.
If successful, the coup would represent the eighth in West and Central Africa since 2020, succeeding coups in Mali, Guinea, Burkina Faso, Chad and Niger, which have undermined Africa democratic progress in recent years. Gabon will also become the sixth African former France colony to be ruled by military since 2020.
