Military coup in Gabon, president under house arrest

The military coup in Gabon brought a decisive end to the Bongo dynasty, placing President Ali Bongo Ondimba under house arrest and effectively terminating another longstanding African autocracy.

The military announced this on state television. This followed Bongo’s re-election announcement by electoral authorities.

Gabon is a wealthy oil-producing country in Central Africa. The Bongo family has ruled it for over 55 years.

2009 Ali Bongo succeeded his father, as if Gabon was a hereditary monarchy.

His son, Noureddin Bongo Valentin, and senior regime officials were arrested for “high treason.”

The international community reacted quickly to the coup.

China called for Ali Bongo’s safety, France condemned the coup, and Russia expressed deep concern.

After Bongo’s victory announcement, twelve soldiers announced the dissolution of state institutions on television.

They canceled the elections and dissolved all institutions in the country.

The military decided to defend peace by ending the current regime due to continuous social cohesion deterioration.

The soldiers closed the country’s borders until further notice.

They urged the population to remain calm and respect Gabon’s international commitments.

Ali Bongo was running for a third term in the recent elections.

These included presidential, legislative, and municipal elections. Albert Ondo Ossa, Bongo’s main rival, received 30.77% of the votes.

Before the polls closed, Ondo claimed victory and denounced frauds orchestrated by Bongo’s camp.

There were no international observers present.

The soldiers criticized the irresponsible and unpredictable governance in their statements.

Ondo, a 69-year-old economics professor and former minister of Omar Bongo, had only six days to campaign.

State television announced the official election results at 03:30 (02:30 GMT) without prior notice.

The government imposed a curfew and cut off the internet before the polls closed on Saturday.

The Bongo administration claimed this was to prevent fake news spread and possible acts of violence.