Gabon: Military Stages Coup Following Election

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Facts

  • After President Ali Bongo Ondimba was declared the victor of Saturday's contested national election in Gabon, military officers appeared on national television on Wednesday to announce they were seizing power. News of the coup prompted widespread celebrations and reports of gunfire in the capital Libreville.1
  • The officers said they represented all of the Central African nation's security and defense forces, adding that the election results were canceled, all borders were closed until further notice, and state institutions dissolved. The military leaders said President Bongo was put under house arrest.2
  • If the implementation of the takeover is successful, the coup could end nearly 60 years of rule by the Bongo family. Ali Bongo took over in 2009 from his father Omar, who was in charge starting in 1967.3
  • The Gabon coup is the latest in a string of military takeovers in [Francophone] African countries, including the most recent in Niger. Since 2021, there have also been coups in Mali, Burkina Faso, Guinea, and Chad.4
  • The leader of the new junta, General Brice Oligui Nguema, told the French newspaper Le Monde that he and other generals would be meeting to select the head of a transitional government.5
  • Gabon's former colonial ruler, France, has 400 soldiers permanently deployed to the country for training and military support. France also maintains strong economic ties with Gabon regarding mining and petroleum.6

Sources: 1CNN, 2Al Jazeera, 3Reuters, 4Washington Post, 5CNBC and 6Guardian.

Narratives

  • Pro-establishment narrative, as provided by Le Monde.fr. France strongly condemns this attempted coup in Gabon and is monitoring the situation closely. The coup leaders should respect the will of the people and honor the outcome of Saturday's national election. Ali Bongo Ondimba should be reinstated as president of Gabon and democracy must prevail.
  • Establishment-critical narrative, as provided by Barrons. France's past support for corrupt and authoritarian leaders in its former colonies has led to a situation in which Paris is literally being chased out of French-speaking African countries in an epidemic of military coups. France's once undisputed geopolitical power in the region is being challenged by China and Russia. Volatile situations like this one are the result of unscrupulous French actions and Paris's waning regional sway.