Gabon soldiers ousted and detained President Ali Bongo in a coup before appointing General Brice Oligui Nguema to lead the transition.
The announcement came on Wednesday after Bongo won an election that gave him a third term as president of the Central African nation. The soldiers that led the coup argued that they represented the armed forces, saying that the elections were canceled, borders were closed, and state institutions were dissolved.
Gabon Coup
Nguema's appointment came within hours after the coup and after generals met to discuss the issue before unanimously agreeing on the former head of the presidential guard. On the other hand, Bongo was detained in his residence, and he appealed in a video statement to foreign allies.
He requested assistance on his and his family's behalf, adding that he was unaware of what was happening. The president's troubles came as a sharp contrast to the early hours of Wednesday when the electoral commission declared Bongo as the winner of Saturday's disputed vote, as per Reuters.
Hundreds of people celebrated the military's intervention in the streets of the Gabon capital, Libreville. However, the United Nations, African Union, and France, which is the nation's former colonial ruler and has troops stationed within, condemned the ousting of Bongo.
The soldiers' coup in Gabon marks the eighth in West and Central Africa since 2020 and is the second, following Niger, in the last two months. Additionally, Burkina Faso, Chad, Guinea, and Mali military officers seized power and erased democratic gains since the 1990s. These situations raised fear among foreign powers with strategic interests in the region.
In a statement, Jules Lebigui, a 27-year-old, joined crowds in Gabon's capital and said that he was marching because he was joyful. He argued that after six decades, the region was finally free from the Bongos taking charge.
Accusations Against Ali Bongo
The coup comes after the Bongo family has been accused of getting rich on the nation's resource wealth while many citizens struggle financially. A few minutes after the announcement of the election winner, gunshots were heard in the center of Libreville before the revelation of the military takeover, according to NBC News.
Another resident, Yollande Okomo, thanked the military for finally ousting President Bongo as he stood before soldiers from Gabon's elite Republican guard. Shopkeeper Viviane Mbou was also offering soldiers juice, but they declined.
A young man walking with his friends on a street lined with armored policemen, Jordy Dikaba, said, "Long live our army." A senior analyst at Verisk Maplecroft, Maja Bovcon Africa, said a coup was unsurprising due to widespread discontent with the Bongo family.
Following the coup, the chair of the African Union's Peace and Security Council, Willy Nyamitwe, convened an emergency meeting with Burundi, Cameroon, and Senegal representatives.
On Wednesday, the African Union released a statement saying that the president of its commission, Moussa Faki Mahamat, was condemning the deposition. He also called on the coup actors to "return to democratic Constitutional order," said CNN.