There is an ongoing Coup in Gabon as the Military has taken over power after the Presidential Election.
Newsone reports that Army officers have appeared on national television in Gabon to say they have taken power, signaling a coup in Gabon, the second in Africa in recent times.
We understand that Gabon Military officers are saying they were annulling the results of Saturday’s election, in which President Ali Bongo was declared the winner.
The electoral commission said Mr Bongo had won just under two-thirds of the votes in an election the opposition argued was fraudulent. His overthrow would end his family’s 53-year hold on power in Gabon.
Alphs news reports that twelve soldiers appeared on television announcing they were cancelling the results of the election and dissolving “all the institutions of the republic”.
One of the soldiers said on TV channel Gabon 24: “We have decided to defend peace by putting an end to the current regime.”
This, he added, was down to “irresponsible, unpredictable governance resulting in a continuing deterioration in social cohesion that risks leading the country into chaos”.
Alpha news gathered that Ali Bongo came to power when his father Omar died in 2009.
In 2018, he suffered a stroke which sidelined him for almost a year and led to calls for him to step aside. The following year, a failed coup attempt saw mutinying soldiers sent to prison
#Gabon After the announce of the fraudulent electoral results declaring Ali Bongo as winner, the Gabonese army has seized control of the country and has called for the dissolution of all institutions. pic.twitter.com/w6PGfB4oZZ
— Elle Vit Belle (She/Her) (@ElvineBelinda) August 30, 2023