Gabon's military appoints post-coup transitional president
Gabon's military coup leaders on Wednesday named the head of the republican guard as the new president after deposing and placing under house arrest the leader Ali Bongo, whose re-election had just been proclaimed by the electoral authorities.
Until this coup, the oil-rich central African country had been ruled for more than 55 years by the Bongo family, the last fourteen by the deposed leader.
The military appointed the head of the Republican Guard - an elite army unit - General Brice Oligui Nguema as the leader of the "transition". The duration of the 'transition' was not yet specified.
During the day, many residents took to the streets to support the military, while in a video Ali Bongo called on his supporters to "make noise".
Ali Bongo, who succeeded his father Omar in 2009, was placed under house arrest, and was "surrounded by his family and doctors", the military announced on state television.
One of his sons, Noureddin Bongo Valentin, was arrested for "high treason".
Also arrested were senior regime officials, presidential advisers and the two top leaders of the powerful Gabonese Democratic Party (PDG).
In an interview with the French daily Le Monde in the afternoon, General Brice Oligui Nguema said that Bongo, 64, "has been set aside" and "enjoys all his rights".
International reactions to this new coup d'état in an African country were swift.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres "strongly condemns the coup attempt underway" in Gabon, his spokesman Stéphane Dujarric said, and called on all actors for "restraint" and "dialogue".
The African Union "strongly" condemned what it described as a coup attempt. China called for "ensuring Ali Bongo's safety" and Russia expressed "deep concern".
France, a former colonial power with interests in the country's oil and manganese sectors, "condemned the ongoing military coup".
The US urged the military to "release and ensure the safety of members of the government and their families and to preserve civilian power".
The UK and Germany also issued statements condemning the coup although, in the case of Berlin, it acknowledged "legitimate" concerns about the transparency of the elections.
"Defending peace"
Following the official announcement of Bongo's victory in Saturday's elections with 64.27% of the vote, twelve military officers announced on television the annulment of the elections and the dissolution of "all institutions" in the country.
Warning that a "continued deterioration of social cohesion" threatened to "lead the country into chaos", the military said they had "decided to defend peace by putting an end to the current regime".
"To this effect, the 26 August elections and the manipulated results are annulled," announced one of the soldiers speaking on behalf of the group.
"All the institutions of the Republic have been dissolved: the government, the Senate, the National Assembly and the Constitutional Court," they added.
The military, who said they spoke on behalf of a "Committee for the Transition and Restoration of Institutions", also announced the closure of the borders "until further notice".
Among them were members of the Republican Guard, recognisable by their green berets, as well as regular army soldiers and members of the police.
AFP journalists heard automatic gunfire in the capital Libreville during the declaration.
Curfew
Ali Bongo ran for a third term in Saturday's elections, which combined presidential, legislative and municipal elections.
According to results released by the Gabonese Election Centre (CGE), Bongo's main rival, Albert Ondo Ossa, won 30.77% of the vote.
L’@ONU_fr reste aux côtés du peuple gabonais.
— António Guterres (@antonioguterres) August 30, 2023
Je condamne fermement la tentative de coup d'État en cours comme moyen de résoudre la crise post-électorale.
J'appelle l’armée nationale et les forces de sécurité à garantir l’intégrité physique du Président et sa famille. https://t.co/EGa9cWeAuF
Ondo, 69, had denounced "fraud orchestrated by the Bongo camp" two hours before voting closed, and claimed victory.
The election was held without the presence of international observers.
The official results of the vote were released in the early hours of the morning, in the middle of a night-time curfew and with the internet cut across the country, measures imposed by the government before polls closed on Saturday to prevent the spread of "fake news" and possible "acts of violence".
The internet was restored hours after the military's announcement, although the military announced it would maintain the curfew until further notice.
