Gabon officers announce coup on TV after disputed election

This happened when President Ali Bongo was re-elected for a third term. Photo: Shutterstock

A group of high-ranking Gabonese military officers appeared. on national television early Wednesday morning and said they came to power after the state electoral body announced that President Ali Bongo had won a third term.

Speaking on Gabon 24, the officers said they represented the interests all the security and defense forces in that Central African country. They said that the results of the elections were cancelled, all borders were closed until further notice, and government offices were dissolved.

After the TV appearance, loud sounds of gunfire could be heard in the capital, Libreville.

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The government of the OPEC member country did not immediately comment.

«In the name of the people of Gabon … we have decided to protect the world by putting an end to the current regime,» the officers said.

If successful, this coup will be the eighth in the West. and Central Africa from 2020. Coups in Mali, Guinea, Burkina Faso, Chad and Niger have undermined democratic progress in recent years.

Gabon President Ali Bongo Ondimba after voting in the 2023 general election. Photo: Shutterstock

Last month, the military seized power in Niger, sending shockwaves across the Sahel and drawing in world powers whose strategic interests were at stake.

Tensions in Gabon have been rising amid fears of unrest following Saturday's presidential, parliamentary and legislative elections, in which Mr. Bongo sought to extend his family's 56-year rule, while the opposition pushed for a change in oil and cocoa. a rich but poor nation.

Bongo, 64, who succeeded his father Omar as president in 2009, fought against 18 challengers, six of whom supported the common candidate, former minister and university professor Albert Ondo. Ossa, seeking to narrow the race.

Bongo's team has denied allegations of fraud.

In 2016, Parliament House was set on fire when violent street protests erupted against Bongo's contested re-election for a second term. The government then closed Internet access for several days.