Gabonese coup: army officers put the president under house arrest

CNN
—

Military officers in Gabon announced they have seized power from President Ali Bongo Ondimba in a stunning coup on Wednesday, threatening the half-century dynastic rule over the central African country.

Men in military uniform appeared on national television to announce the president’s house arrest during the military coup, sparking celebrations and reports of gunfire in the streets of the capital – but condemnation abroad.

“It has been brought to the attention of the national and international community that Ali Bongo Ondimba is being held under house arrest,” a spokesman for the military council, who was not named, said on state television on Wednesday morning.

The spokesman added that the ousted president was surrounded by his “family and doctors.”

Meanwhile, Agence France-Presse showed video footage of soldiers in the capital, Libreville, celebrating in support of the coup leader, General Brice Olegy Nguema. He was seen on the shoulders of military personnel who were chanting “Chief”.

The announcement came just minutes after President Ali Bongo Ondimba, also known as Ali Bongo, was declared the winner of the disputed election.

The officers, who claim to represent the country’s “defence and security forces”, made the announcement in a televised speech on the Gabon24 news channel. Viewed by CNN on X, formerly known as Twitter.

On behalf of the Gabonese people and guarantor of the protection of institutions, CTRI [the Committee for the Transition and Restoration of Institutions] “He decided to defend the peace by putting an end to the existing order,” a military officer said on the broadcast.

CNN cannot independently confirm the video and has not yet reached the Gabon government for comment.

The military officer said in the broadcast that the election results will be nullified and the country’s borders will be closed.

“All the institutions of the Republic have been dissolved: in particular the government, the Senate, the National Assembly, the Constitutional Court, the Economic, Social and Environmental Council and the Gabon Electoral Council,” the officer said.

“We call upon the Gabonese population and the communities of neighboring countries living in Gabon as well as the Gabonese diaspora to remain calm.”

A Reuters reporter said loud gunfire was heard in the capital, Libreville, after it appeared on television.

People in Gabon were seen dancing and celebrating in the streets of its capital, according to videos shared with CNN and posted on social media.

In one of the videos obtained by CNN, people can be seen chanting “Liberators!” And waving the flag of Gabon in the Nzing Ayung district of the capital, along with military vehicles.

Criticisms began to come from all over the world. Government spokesman Olivier Ferrand told reporters on Wednesday that France condemns “the ongoing military coup in Gabon”. He added that France pays “great attention to the development of the situation on the ground” and that Paris wants to “respect the results of the elections when they become known.”

The past three years have seen nine coups in former French colonies – Mali, Guinea, Burkina Faso, Chad, Niger, Tunisia, and now Gabon – that have undermined democratic progress in recent years.

Most recently, Niger’s military junta seized power in the West African country in late July, prompting the African Union to suspend Niger from the group of 55 member states. Earlier this month, Niger’s military ruler proposed a return to democracy within three years, saying that the principles of the transition would be determined within the next 30 days.

Earlier on Wednesday, Gabon’s electoral authority said Bongo had won the presidential election with 64.27% of the vote, after a delayed general election that the opposition denounced as fraudulent.

The Electoral Commission said Bongo’s main rival, Albert Ondo Osa, came in second with 30.77%. Bongo’s team had rejected Ondo Ossa’s allegations of electoral irregularities.

Ali Bongo, 64, assumed power to succeed his father, Omar Bongo, who died of a heart attack while receiving treatment for bowel cancer in a Spanish clinic in 2009, after nearly 42 years in office.

Bongo Sr. assumed power in 1967, seven years after the country gained independence from France.

He ruled the tiny country with an iron fist, imposing a one-party system for years and only allowing pluralistic rule in 1991, though his party retained its grip on the government.

Ali Bongo began his political career in 1981, serving as Minister of Foreign Affairs and Member of Congress from 1989 to 1991, according to the Embassy of Gabon. website in the United States. He was defense minister since 1999 before becoming president in 2009.

In this week’s election, Ali Bongo had 18 challengers, six of whom supported Ondo Ossa, a former minister and university professor, in a bid to narrow the race. Many in the opposition have been pressing for change in the oil-rich, impoverished country of 2.3 million people.

Tensions have risen amid fears of unrest after Saturday’s election, with international observers complaining about a lack of transparency.

Before the elections, the non-profit organization Reporters Without Borders condemned the Gabonese government for obstructing foreign press coverage of the event.

European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said on Wednesday that “if (the situation in Gabon) is confirmed, it is another military coup,” which “will increase instability in the entire region.”

Borrell told reporters before a ministerial meeting of the European Union on defense held in Toledo, Spain: “It is an issue that will be put on the table and we will discuss it.”

“The whole region starting with the Central African Republic, then Mali, then Burkina Faso, now Niger, and maybe Gabon, the situation is very difficult,” Borrell said. “The defense ministers and the foreign ministers should think deeply about what is going on there. And how can we improve policy with these countries.

This is not the first time that Gabon has witnessed a power struggle or unrest over Bongo’s rule, which critics have often objected to.

And in 2016, the parliament building was set on fire when violent street protests erupted against Bongo’s disputed re-election to a second term. The government shut down internet access for several days at that time.

A coup attempt took place in 2019, when a group of soldiers and army officers stormed the headquarters of the state radio and television, took the staff hostage, and declared that they had taken control of the country.

Citing their dissatisfaction with Bongo as president, they vowed to “restore democracy” in the country – before Gabonese defense and security forces acted to end the power grab and rescue the hostages. As a result, two soldiers were killed and eight military officers were arrested.