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While the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) battles to resolve the political impasse in Niger Republic and restore it’s democracy after the July 26 coup d’etat in the Sahel country, another coup has been announced in Gabon, a central African nation on Wednesday.
The Gabonese Army has announced the cancelation of the August election after seizing power.
The junta according to Aljazeera said, they were “putting an end to the current regime” and the cancellation of the last election that, according to official results, President Ali Bongo Ondimba won.
While announcing the cancellation of the results, one of the soldiers announced the dissolution of “all the institutions of the republic”. “We have decided to defend peace by putting an end to the current regime”, he said on a monitored TV channel Gabon 24.
He also said, he was speaking on behalf of the “Committee for the Transition and Restoration of Institutions.”
“To this end, the general elections of 26 August 2023 and the truncated results are cancelled,” he said, continuing that, “All the institutions of the Republic are dissolved: the government, the Senate, the National Assembly and the Constitutional Court.”
He also announced the closure of the country’s borders “until further notice”.
Among the soldiers were members of the Republican Guard as well as soldiers of the regular army and police officers.
The apparent coup follows shortly after the national election authority’s announcement on Wednesday that Gabon’s President Ali Bongo Ondimba had been re-elected for a third term.
The soldier who appeared on TV channel Gabon 24 also said, “We have decided to defend peace by putting an end to the current regime”.
Gunfire is reported in the Gabonese capital, Libreville, according to media reports.
Gabon’s political opposition branded the election a “fraud orchestrated by Ali Bongo and his supporters”.
Gabon’s army officers who claimed to have seized power said the country is “on the road to happiness”, claiming that Libreville will respect its commitments “to the national and international community”.
The military leaders however pleaded for calmness despite gunfire rending the calm Wednesday skyline in Libberavile the Gabonese capital.
“We call for calm and serenity from the public, the communities of sister countries settled in Gabon, and the Gabonese diaspora,” the officer said.
“We reaffirm our commitment to respecting Gabon’s commitments to the national and international community. People of Gabon, we are finally on the road to happiness.”
he read.
The group of 12 officers made the announcement shortly after Gabon’s election body reported early on Wednesday morning that President Ali Bongo had won a third term in office.
The African Union is yet to react to the development.
*Report by Dayo Emmanuel
