On Wednesday, military officials in Gabon announced their takeover of power on national television, sparking celebrations and reports of shooting in the city’s streets.
Shortly after President Ali Bongo Ondimba, also known as Ali Bongo, was declared the winner of a closely contested election, his family’s fifty-year dominance over the country of Central Africa was extended.
The declaration was made during a live broadcast on news station Gabon24 by the officers, who identified themselves as representatives of the “defense and security forces” in the nation. CNN on X, formerly known as Twitter, watched it.
“On behalf of the Gabonese people and guarantor of the protection of institutions, CTRI [the Committee for the Transition and Restoration of Institutions] has decided to defend peace by putting an end to the regime in place,” a military officer said on the broadcast.
The military officer declared in the broadcast that the election results would be nullified and that the country’s borders would be closed.
“All the institutions of the republic are dissolved: in particular the government, the Senate, the National Assembly, the Constitutional Court, Economic and Social and Environmental Council, and the Elections Council of Gabon,” the officer said.
“We call on the population of Gabon, the communities of neighboring countries living in Gabon, as well as the Gabonese diaspora, to remain calm.”
Following the appearance on television, a Reuters reporter reported hearing loud shooting in the capital city of Libreville.
In a CNN-obtained video, individuals can be heard cheering “liberated!” and waving the Gabon flag in the capital’s Nzeng Ayong neighbourhood alongside armed forces.
In the past three years, military juntas have already taken control of five countries in western and central Africa, five of which were formerly French possessions. Mali, Guinea, Burkina Faso, Chad, and Niger’s coups, as well as others, have hampered recent democratic advancements.
Most recently, the military coup in Niger in late July led to the suspension of the West African nation’s membership in the African Union, which has 55 member states.
A return to democracy in Niger within three years was proposed earlier this month by the country’s military ruler, who added that the transition’s guiding principles would be defined within the following 30 days.
- Bongo’s Long Rule
Following a general election marred by delays and criticised as fraudulent by the opposition, Gabon’s election commision announced earlier on Wednesday that Bongo had won the presidency with 64.27% of the vote, according to Reuters.
According to the election body, Albert Ondo Ossa, Bongo’s major rival, finished in second place with 30.77%. Ondo Ossa’s team had disproved Bongo’s claims of electoral fraud.
Ali Bongo, 64, succeeded his father, Omar Bongo, who had held the position for over 42 years before passing away in 2009 after a heart collapse while receiving treatment for intestinal cancer in a Spanish clinic.
Seven years after the nation’s independence from France, in 1967, the elder Bongo took office.
He imposed a one-party system for many years and only permitted multi-party control in 1991, yet his party still held power. He dominated the little country with an iron fist.
Ali Bongo faced 18 opponents in this week’s election, six of whom backed Ondo Ossa, a former minister and university professor, to help the campaign become more competitive. In the 2.3 million-strong oil-rich but impoverished country, many members of the opposition were calling for change.
International observers complained of a lack of openness as tensions rose amid worries about violence following the voting on Saturday.
Ahead of the election, the non-profit Reporters Without Borders condemned the Gabonese government for obstructing foreign press coverage of the event.
The EU’s foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said on Wednesday that “if (the situation in Gabon) is confirmed (that) it’s another military coup,” it would “increase instability in the whole region.”
“It’s an issue that will be put on table and we will discuss it,” Borrell told reporters ahead of an EU ministerial meeting on defense held in Toledo, Spain.
“The whole area starting with Central African Republic, then Mali, then Burkina Faso, now Niger, maybe Gabon, it’s a very difficult situation,” Borrell said. “Defense ministers and foreign ministers have to have a deep thought on what is going on there. And how we can improve policy with these countries.”
French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne said her country was following the situation in Gabon “very closely.”
This is not the first power struggle or unrest in Gabon over Bongo’s rule, which has constantly been criticized.
When violent street protests broke out in 2016 in opposition to Bongo’s controversial re-election for a second term, the parliament building was set on fire. The authorities at the time blocked internet connection for a number of days.
In 2019, there was an attempt at a coup when a group of troops and military officers seized the offices of the state radio and television, kidnapped the workers, and declared they had taken over the country.
They cited their dissatisfaction with Bongo as president, vowing to “restore democracy” in the country – before Gabonese defense and security forces moved in to end the takeover and rescue the hostages. Two soldiers were killed and eight military officers arrested as a result.
