Gabon coup: Military seizes energy from Ali Bongo and places him in space arrest

Gabon’s President Ali Bongo has appealed for assist after the military deposed him in a coup and put him underneath space arrest.

Talking on Wednesday from what he stated was once his place of abode, he recommended supporters to “carry your voice”.

Previous, military officials seemed on TV to mention they’d taken energy.

They stated they’d annulled the result of Saturday’s election through which Mr Bongo was once declared the winner, however the opposition claimed it was once fraudulent.

The officials additionally stated they’d arrested one in every of Mr Bongo’s sons for treason.

Later, they introduced that Mr Bongo would get replaced through the top of the presidential guard, Gen Brice Oligui Nguema, who was once previous carried triumphantly in the course of the streets of the capital Libreville.

They stated that from Thursday, “the folk of Gabon will as soon as once more be unfastened to head about their industry between 6am and 6pm” – however site visitors restrictions would stay in position for now.

Mr Bongo’s overthrow would finish his circle of relatives’s 55-year hang on energy in Gabon.

The place is Gabon? It is an oil-rich nation at the west coast of Central Africa, with a small inhabitants of simply 2.4 million.

Who’s Ali Bongo? He was once declared the winner of Saturday’s disputed elections and has been president since 2009. Sooner than that, his father was once in energy for 41 years.

Why was once there a coup? The military do not settle for the election effects and say they took energy to stay the peace.

In his video message, Mr Bongo showed he was once underneath space arrest.

“My son is someplace, my spouse is in some other position… Not anything is occurring. I have no idea what’s going on,” he stated in English, earlier than once more soliciting for assist.

A communications corporate that was once running for the presidency right through the election has been in touch with the BBC to substantiate the authenticity of the photos. It stated it were requested through Mr Bongo’s place of work to flow into the video.

Of their TV remark the coup leaders stated they had been cancelling the result of the election and dissolving “the entire establishments of the republic”.

The rustic’s borders were closed “till additional realize”, they added.

It got here after Gabon’s electoral fee stated Mr Bongo had received just below two-thirds of the votes in Saturday’s election, which the opposition argued was once fraudulent.

Some of the infantrymen stated they’d “put an finish to the present regime” on account of “irresponsible, unpredictable governance leading to a unbroken deterioration in social concord that dangers main the rustic into chaos”.

That is the 8th coup in former French colonies in Africa previously 3 years.

On the other hand, lots of the others had been additional north, within the Sahel area, the place an Islamist insurgency has resulted in emerging court cases that the democratically elected governments had been failing to give protection to the civilian populations.

In Gabon there’s no doubt that having been in energy since 1967, many have had sufficient of the Bongo circle of relatives dynasty. Other folks had been fast to take to the streets, showing to be really overjoyed. Thus far there may be little signal of a pushback.

The French govt has condemned the takeover, with a spokesman calling for the election effects to be revered.

On the other hand, French affect in Africa has waned considerably in recent times, and a decision for but extra years of Ali Bongo is not likely to head down neatly.

Certainly the army will have observed French energy ebbing and felt empowered to step in consequently, with Paris much less prone to act in strengthen of Mr Bongo.

Mr Bongo’s use of English in his video, relatively than French which is Gabon’s legitimate language, suggests he was once addressing the Commonwealth relatively than France.

Russia and China are a few of the different nations that experience expressed their fear. The Eu Union’s international coverage leader stated an army takeover would build up instability in Africa.

“This can be a large factor for Europe,” stated Josep Borrell.

Web get right of entry to was once suspended following Saturday’s election for safety causes, however was once restored in a while after the obvious takeover. A curfew may be in position.

As in earlier basic elections in Gabon, there have been critical considerations in regards to the procedure in Saturday’s vote.

Major opposition candidate Albert Ondo Ossa complained that many polling stations lacked poll papers bearing his identify, whilst the coalition he represents stated the names of a few of those that had withdrawn from the presidential race had nonetheless been at the poll sheet.

Marketing campaign crew Journalists With out Borders stated international media were banned from environment foot within the nation to hide the vote.

Mr Bongo got here to energy when his father Omar died in 2009.

In 2018, he suffered a stroke which sidelined him for just about a 12 months and resulted in requires him to step apart.

The next 12 months, a failed coup strive noticed mutinying infantrymen despatched to jail.