From Abia Onyike, Political Editor
Military Officers in Gabon have successfully taken over the reigns of power in Gabon Wednesday morning. President Ali Bongo who on Saturday was announced winner of the controversial elections has been placed under house arrest.
The military annulled Bongo’s third term election victory just as Gabonese masses and soldiers cheer and celebrate Bongo’s ouster on the streets of the capital, Libreville and other cities. The coup is coming on the heels of the one in Niger which occured in July, 2023 and had created diplomatic and military tensions within ECOWAS and African Union circles. Gabon is another country on the West coast of Central Africa. It lies further South on the Atlantic coast, to the equator.
Gabon is one of Africa’s major oil producing countries but most of its 2.3 million population live in abject poverty, because of dynastic rule. Ali Bongo came to power in 2009 after his father Omar Bongo, who ruled the country for 42 years died. He was Defence Minister under his father’s presidency. His father came to power in 1967 and the family has since then held on tightly to rulership. Agency reports say Bongo was going for his third term in office and was declared winner in the disputed elections on 26th August, 2023 during which foreign observers and international press were restricted access to monitor the elections.
The coup leaders in Gabon comprised of presidential guard detachments and other Military Officers from across the armed forces who operated under the aegis of the “Committee for the Transition and Restoration of Institutions”, citing institutional, Political, economic and social crises as factors responsible for the coup.
They appeared on National Television, Gabon 24 and accused Bongo’s regime of having relapsed into “irresponsible and unforeseeable governance”. The army said they “have decided to defend peace by putting an end to the regime in power. The Bongo family dynasty had ruled Garbon for upwards of 56 years and there were indications that Ali Bongo planned to hand over to his son in the future. The outsted President, Ali Bongo Ondimba, 64 years of age studied Law in the Soborne, France.
His government became unpopular because of mass poverty in the society, unfair distribution of wealth and the rising gap between the elite and the poor in a country rich in oil, manganese and iron-ore. The African continent has recorded 214 attempted military coups out of which 106 were successful since the 1960s when most of the countries became independent.
