Gabonese Military Officers Depose President Ali Bongo
Gabonese military officers have cancelled election results and dissolved state institutions, claiming they have taken power, local media reported on Wednesday. The African country’s borders are closed until further notice, said the reports, adding gunfire was heard in the capital Libreville.
The officers said that the general election was not credible and the results were annulled. Prior to the incident, Gabon’s national electoral body said that President Ali Bongo Ondimba from the ruling Gabonese Democratic Party was re-elected for a third term in Saturday’s election.
Niger, Burkina Faso, and other West African countries toppled by Military coup in last 4 years. Others are Chad (since April 2021), Guinea (since September 2021), Mali (since August 2020) and Sudan (since October 2021).
Early in the morning of Wednesday, soldiers appeared on Gabonese national television, announcing the cancellation of recent election results and the dissolution of “all the institutions of the republic”.
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.
A soldier appearing on TV channel Gabon 24 said, “We have decided to defend peace by putting an end to the current regime”.
Meanwhile, 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”. #Gabonese Military Officers Depose President Ali Bongo
