This Wednesday, August 30, the President of Gabon, Ali Bongo, appeared in a video message, in which he denounced that he is under house arrest and asked the international community to “make noise” to press for his release. His words came hours after the Army announced on television that it had taken control of the country, closed borders and annulled the results of the general elections on August 26, the results of which gave Bongo a third term, according to electoral authorities. .
This Wednesday, August 30, the political scene in Gabon underwent an unexpected turn. After holding elections last Saturday, August 26, the country’s military decided to take power, alleging a lack of transparency in the procedure that, according to the electoral authorities, gave the current president, Ali Bongo, the victory, which would mean his third consecutive term.
Due to “irresponsible and unpredictable governance that translates into a continuous deterioration of social cohesion, which risks bringing the country into chaos, we have decided to defend peace by putting an end to the current regime,” a group of uniformed officers that make up the so-called “Institutional Transition and Restoration Committee”.
Below, the main news of the coup in Gabon:
8:30 (BOG) President Bongo confirms his arrest and calls for international help
A few hours after the military claimed that they had carried out a coup in Gabon, President Ali Bongo appeared in a video, in which he denounced that he is under house arrest, like his family.
Likewise, Bongo urged help from the citizens of his country and the international community to end the armed takeover.
“I am Ali Bongo Ondimba, the President of Gabon and I must send a message to all the friends we have around the world to tell them to make noise, make noise. Because the people here have arrested me and my family. My son It’s somewhere, my wife is somewhere else and I’m at the residence right now (…) I don’t know what, what’s happening. So I’m calling them to make noise, make noise, really,” he said.
Gabonese President Ali Bongo, in a video shared on social media, appeals for help from the international community after senior military officers announced they had taken control of the country. #Gabon #AliBongo pic.twitter.com/mWgVIJqngk
— CGTN Africa (@cgtnafrica) August 30, 2023
6:56 (BOG) Celebrations in Libreville
Since the announcement of the military leadership, social networks have given numerous samples of civilians celebrating Bongo’s departure. In Libreville, the capital of Gabon, festivities in working-class neighborhoods were recorded by collaborators of the AFP agency.
With horns, shouts and applause, hundreds of people took to the streets in support of the coup and even congratulated members of the Police who were roaming the area. “Liberation” was one of the terms most used by the Gabonese in the demonstrations.
6:34 (BOG) France warns of its concern
From Paris they reacted negatively to the events that took place on Gabonese soil, a territory that was a French colony. The first to refer to the matter was Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne, who pointed out that they were following the events with “the greatest attention”.
Minutes later, it was the presidential spokesman, Olivier Véran, who spoke and expressed the official “condemnation” of France against the military coup in process.
In reading a written speech, Véran assured that the country’s diplomacy hopes that the results of the elections can be respected. “We remember our attachment to free and transparent electoral processes,” he added.
Aucune alerte n’aura été entendue.
À présent, Gabon will not be disbarred from its marionnette présidentielle that by an intervention of ses militares. Macron aura, encore une fois, compromis la France dans un soutien jusqu’au bout à l’insupportable. Les Africains tournent la…—Jean-Luc Mélenchon (@JLMelenchon) August 30, 2023
For his part, Bongo’s departure was taken by opponents of the Emmanuel Macron government as a reason to criticize the president. The leftist, Jean-Luc Melenchón, complained that Macron “compromised” France by supporting Bongo “until the end”.
“Now, Gabon has only been able to get rid of its presidential puppet thanks to the intervention of its army. Macron will have once again compromised France by supporting the unbearable to the end. The Africans are turning the page,” published Jean-Luc Melenchon .
6:10 (BOG) Gabonese military announce takeover
Uniformed officers who make up the self-styled Committee for the Transition and Restoration of Institutions (CTRI) announced that they have deposed President Ali Bongo, and that they are keeping him under house arrest, accused of numerous crimes. Among them, the alleged “high treason” and “massive embezzlement of public funds” stand out.
This move was registered after the results of the elections on Saturday that led to Bongo’s second re-election were published, for which he would agree to a third term. The military indicated that the results are annulled and described the elections as “not very transparent, credible or inclusive.”
The military justified that the Bongo Administration was “irresponsible and unpredictable governance that translates into a continuous deterioration of social cohesion that risks bringing the country into chaos” and for this reason they decided to “defend peace by putting an end to the current regime ”.
The CTRI indicated that the head of state is accompanied by his family and medical personnel. Along with Bongo, his son, Noureddin Bongo Valentin, and his chief of staff, Ian Ghislain Ngoulou, among other people, were also arrested.
The military also reported that all of Gabon’s democratic institutions were dissolved, such as the Senate, the National Assembly and the Constitutional Court. They also indicated that the nation’s airspace was closed until further notice.
“We call for the calm and serenity of the population and we reaffirm our commitment to respect Gabon’s commitments to the international community,” they added.
5:55 (BOG) Ali Bongo is re-elected as president
After 72 hours of the elections, during which time the country’s internet was interrupted and a curfew was established, the president who has governed the country for 14 years won his third term.
With 64.27% of the votes, Bonga beat Albert Ondo Ossa, who obtained 30.77%, according to Michel Stéphane, president of the Gabonese Electoral Center (CGE).
The final results were announced unexpectedly at dawn, around 3:30 a.m. local time, on public television.
The body that regulates the media in the country had provisionally banned the broadcasts of French channels in Gabon, such as France 24, Radio France Internationale and TV5 Monde for “lack of objectivity”.
With EFE, AFP and Reuters
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