Gabon officers declare military coup, President Ali Bongo detained
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[August 30, 2023]
By Gerauds Wilfried Obangome
LIBREVILLE (Reuters) - Military officers in oil-producing Gabon said
they had seized power on Wednesday and had put President Ali Bongo under
house arrest, stepping in minutes after the Central African state's
election body announced he had won a third term.
The officers who said they represented the armed forces declared on
television that the election results were cancelled, borders were closed
and state institutions were dissolved, after a tense vote without
international observers that was set to extend the Bongo family's more
than half century in power.
Hundreds of people celebrated the military's intervention, while France,
Gabon's former colonial ruler which has troops stationed in the African
nation, condemned the coup.
"I am marching today because I am joyful. After almost 60 years, the
Bongos are out of power," said Jules Lebigui, a jobless 27-year-old who
joined crowds on Libreville's streets.
In another statement, the officers said they had detained Bongo, who
took over in 2009 from his father Omar, who had ruled since 1967. They
said they had arrested the president's son, Noureddin Bongo Valentin,
and others for corruption and treason.
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Opponents say the family has done little to share the state's oil and
mining wealth with its 2.3 million people. Violent unrest had broken out
after Bongo's disputed 2016 election win and there was a foiled coup
attempt in 2019.
If successful, the Gabon coup would be the eighth in West and Central
Africa since 2020. The latest one, in Niger, was in July. Military
officers have also seized power in Mali, Guinea, Burkina Faso and Chad,
erasing democratic gains since the 1990s.
The Gabon officers, calling themselves The Committee of Transition and
the Restoration of Institutions, said the country faced "a severe
institutional, political, economic, and social crisis". They said the
Aug. 26 vote was not credible.
It was not clear who was leading the coup, but television images showed
a man in fatigues and a green beret held aloft by soldiers shouting "Oligui
president", a possible reference to Brice Oligui Nguema, the head of
Gabon's Republican Guard.
Despite the brief sound of gunfire in the capital shortly after the
officers made their first announcement, the streets of Libreville were
calm until celebrations erupted. Police officers fanned out to guard
major city intersections.
There was no immediate comment from Gabon's government.
FRENCH CONDEMNATION
Bongo, 64, was last seen in public casting his vote on Saturday. Before
the vote, he had been seen in public looking healthier than more frail
television appearances after he suffered a stroke in 2019.
"We condemn the military coup and recall our commitment to free and
transparent elections," French government spokesman Olivier Veran said.
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![](../images/083023PIX/news_v20.jpg)
A military vehicle passes by people
celebrating after military officers announced they had taken power,
after the state election body announced President Ali Bongo had won
a third term, in Port Gentil, Gabon August 30, 2023 in this still
image obtained from social media video. Gaetan M-Antchouwet/via
REUTERS
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2023/Aug/30/images/ads/current/chicagostreet_quarter_FAIR_2023.png)
The coup creates more uncertainty for France's presence in the
region. France has about 350 troops in Gabon. Its forces have been
kicked out of Mali and Burkina Faso after coups there in the last
two years.
Unlike Niger and other Sahel countries, Gabon, which lies further
south on the Atlantic coast, has not had to battle destabilizing
Islamist insurgencies. But the coup is a further sign of democratic
backsliding in the volatile region.
China called for a peaceful resolution and Russia said it hoped for
a swift return to stability.
"With the coup leaders claiming to represent all factions of Gabon's
security apparatus, Mr Bongo is not expected to be able to suppress
the uprising," wrote Rukmini Sanyal, an analyst at Economist
Intelligence Unit, citing "widespread public discontent" against
Bongo, his family and his ruling party.
Gabon produces about 200,000 barrels of oil a day, mainly from
depleting fields. International companies include France's
TotalEnergies and Anglo-French producer Perenco.
French miner Eramet, which has large manganese operations in Gabon,
said it had halted operations.
There had been fears of unrest after the presidential, parliamentary
and legislative elections.
A lack of international observers, the suspension of some foreign
broadcasts and a decision to cut internet service and impose a
night-time curfew after the poll had raised concerns about the
vote's transparency, although Bongo's team rejected allegations of
fraud.
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After the officers' announcement, internet access appeared to be
restored for the first time since Saturday's vote.
Shortly before the announcement, the election authority had declared
Bongo the election winner with 64.27% of the vote and said his main
challenger, Albert Ondo Ossa, had secured 30.77%.
Gabon's dollar-denominated bonds fell as much as 14 cents on
Wednesday before recovering around 2 cents of the losses.
At least 30 tankers and other ships had dropped anchor on Wednesday
around Gabon's waters after the coup, near major ports including
Owendo, near Libreville, and Port Gentil to the south. British
maritime security company Ambrey said port operations in Libreville
had stopped.
(Additional reporting by Alessandra Prentice, Elizabeth Pineau,
Sofia Christensen, Sudip Kar-Gupta and Liz Lee; Writing by Nellie
Peyton and Sofia Christensen; Editing by Simon Cameron-Moore and
Edmund Blair)
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