The military coup d’état happened minutes after President Ali Bongo was declared the winner of disputed elections.
A group of military officers televised they had seized power, overturning the results of the August 26, 2023 election that returned the incumbent, President Ali Bongo Ondimba, for a third term in office.
Internet was interrupted following the coup d’état. The media states Internet connections are again online.
The Gabonese military have dissolved all state institutions and announced the establishment of a curfew in effect until further notice, from 7 p.m. to 6 a.m. in the morning.
A failed coup attempted occurred in 2019. Soldiers who mutinied were jailed.
This in now the eighth coup across West and Central Africa since 2020 (3 years). The coup in Gabon comes about a month after a military junta seized power from the democratically elected government in Niger, one in a series of coups that have challenged governments with ties to France, the region’s former coloniser.
“The region is already grappling with recent coups in Niger, Burkina Faso, and Mali, where military leaders have exploited the growing discontent of people in impoverished countries with a rising death toll from Islamist insurgencies,” reports the Globe and Mail
As of Wednesday August 30, 2023, the safety and security situation remains calm, but tense. Land borders have remained closed since the military takeover. The situation could degrade rapidly.
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Last Updated on December 9, 2024