Appearing on TV channel Gabon 24, the officers said they represent all security and defense forces in the central African country.
They announced the cancellation of the election results and the closure of all borders until further notice, in addition to the dissolution of state institutions.
There was no immediate comment from the government of the member state of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC).
There were no immediate reports on the whereabouts of Bongo, who was last seen in public when he cast his vote in the elections on Saturday.
Officers message
“In the name of the Gabonese people, we have decided to defend peace by bringing an end to the current regime,” the officers said.
One of the officers read the joint statement while a dozen more in uniform stood behind him in silence.
The officers introduced themselves as members of the Transition and Institutional Restoration Committee.
The state institutions they announced were dissolving included the government, the Senate, the National Assembly, the Constitutional Court and the election centre.
Tensions have been running high in Gabon amid fears of turmoil after Saturday’s presidential, parliamentary and legislative elections, in which Bongo sought to extend his family’s 56-year grip on power while the opposition pressed for change in the impoverished but rich country in oil and cocoa.
The absence of international observers, the suspension of some foreign media broadcasts, the authorities’ decision to cut internet service and impose a night curfew throughout the country after the elections raised concerns about the transparency of the electoral process.
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