In a surprising turn of events, a group of senior military officers in Gabon has taken control of the national television broadcast, declaring a coup and asserting that recent elections were not credible.
The officers appeared on Gabon24 during the early hours of Wednesday morning, announcing the seizure of power.
They declared the cancellation of the elections, dissolution of state institutions, and closure of the country’s borders.
Claiming to represent all security and defense forces of Gabon, they announced their intention to bring an end to the current regime, citing the need to defend peace and stability.
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The move came shortly after the Gabonese Election Centre announced that President Ali Bongo Ondimba had won a third term in office in the disputed elections held over the weekend.
President Bongo secured 64.27 percent of the vote, according to the election body, while his main challenger Albert Ondo Ossa received 30.77 percent.
However, the election process had been marred by delays and accusations of fraud from the opposition. The opposition camp had criticized the elections as being orchestrated by Bongo and his supporters, especially after the internet was cut and a curfew was imposed.
President Ali Bongo Ondimba is the candidate of the Gabonese Democratic Party (PDG), founded by his father, Omar Bongo, who ruled Gabon from 1967 to 2009. After his father’s death, Ali Bongo, then the defense minister, assumed the presidency and has held power since.
Tensions had been escalating during the election, with the opposition advocating for a change and an end to the Bongo family’s long-standing control over Gabon’s leadership.
In response to the military announcement, reports from Reuters and AFP indicated that the capital city, Libreville, experienced the sound of gunfire, suggesting potential clashes following the coup declaration. The situation remains fluid, and the international community is closely monitoring developments in Gabon.
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