Less than a week after toppling the president whose family had dominated the Central African country for more than five decades, Gabon’s new military leader was sworn in as the country’s head of state on Monday (Sept. 04).
General Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema took the oath in front of a loud, crowded room of government officials, military personnel, and local leaders in Libreville, the capital of Gabon. Oligui is the commander of the republican guard, an elite military force, and is a cousin of the deposed president Ali Bongo Ondimba. He was also a bodyguard for his deceased father.
Oligui claimed that the military had taken control of the country without using force, and he pledged to return that power to the people by holding free, open, and democratic elections.
“With the new government, made up of experienced people, we’re going to give everyone a chance to hope,” he said.
The rebellious troops that overthrew Bongo last week said that he ran the risk of bringing about chaos, and they “unanimously” chose Oligui to lead the transitional committee. After being declared the victor of a poll that was widely perceived as being full of anomalies and lacking in transparency, Bongo—who had served as president for 14 years—was removed from office hours later.
According to Maja Bovcon, senior analyst at risk assessment company Verisk Maplecroft, Oligui’s quick swearing-in will give the impression of legitimacy and cement his position to discourage possible rivals from challenging his reign.
“It is also likely intended as a means to restore investor confidence by conveying the message that he will not waste time in returning to business-as-usual and democratic rules,” she said. However, the fact that he plans to rewrite the constitution and electoral code means that the transition period will likely take months, if not years.
Since taking office in 2009 following the passing of his father, who had controlled the nation for 41 years, Bongo has completed two terms in office, and his family’s rule has been widely criticised. In 2019, a different gang of rebellious troops attempted a coup but were promptly defeated.
According to Sherpa, a French NGO committed to accountability, nine members of the Bongo family are currently the subject of an investigation in France, with some of them facing preliminary charges of embezzlement, money laundering, and other types of corruption. According to the group, investigators have connected the family to more than $92 million worth of assets in France, including two villas in Nice.
The prospect of a protracted transition doesn’t seem to concern Gabonese who were present for the inauguration on Thursday.
“We are turning the page of 55 years of an oligarchy. For Gabon it is a new start, the end of a one political party governance without real benefits for the Gabonese people,” said Desire Ename publisher for a local media outlet. It would be acceptable for the junta to transition within three years, he said.
Albert Ondo Ossa, the opposition candidate in Gabon, declined to comment on the inauguration but said last week that the country needed to return to constitutional rule and that the removal of the president wasn’t a coup but rather a “palace revolution” to extend the Bongo family’s rule.
The former French colony is a member of OPEC, but its oil wealth is concentrated in the hands of a few number of people, and in 2020, the World Bank reported that about 40% of Gabonese between the ages of 15 and 24 were unemployed. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, its oil export earnings were $6 billion in 2022.
