Coup attempt in Gabon as soldiers dispute election result – National | 24CA News
Mutinous troopers in Gabon mentioned Wednesday they had been seizing energy to overturn the outcomes of a presidential election, and claimed to have arrested the president, whose household has held energy for 55 years.
The coup try got here hours after the central African nation’s President Ali Bongo Ondimba, 64, was declared winner of an election marred by fears of violence.
Within minutes of the announcement, gunfire was heard within the heart of the capital, Libreville. Later, a dozen uniformed troopers appeared on state tv and introduced that that they had seized energy.
Crowds took to the town’s streets to have fun the tip of Bongo’s reign, singing the nationwide anthem with troopers.
“Thank you, army. Finally, we’ve been waiting a long time for this moment,” mentioned Yollande Okomo, standing in entrance of troopers from Gabon’s elite republican guard.
Shopkeeper Viviane Mbou provided the troopers juice, which they declined.
“Long live our army,” mentioned Jordy Dikaba, a younger man strolling together with his associates on a road lined with armored policemen.
The troopers meant to “dissolve all institutions of the republic,” mentioned a spokesman for the group, whose members had been drawn from the gendarme, the republican guard and different components of the safety forces. Later within the day, a second video carried on state tv mentioned the president and different folks within the authorities have been arrested on numerous prices.
French mining firm Eramet mentioned it was ceasing all operations in Gabon, and that it has begun procedures to make sure the protection of its employees and services. The firm’s subsidiaries in Gabon function the world’s largest manganese mine, and a rail transport firm.
The non-public intelligence agency Ambrey mentioned all operations on the nation’s major port in Libreville had been halted, with authorities refusing to grant permission for vessels to depart.
One morning flight at Libreville’s Leon-Mba International Airport already had been delayed early Wednesday morning. A person who answered a quantity listed for the airport informed The Associated Press that flights had been cancelled on Wednesday.
The coup try took place one month after mutinous troopers in Niger seized energy from the democratically elected authorities, and is the newest in a sequence of coups which have challenged governments with ties to France, the area’s former colonizer. Gabon’s coup, if profitable would carry the variety of coups in West and Central Africa to eight since 2020.
In his annual Independence Day speech Aug. 17, Bongo mentioned “While our continent has been shaken in recent weeks by violent crises, rest assured that I will never allow you and our country Gabon to be hostages to attempts at destabilization. Never.”
Unlike Niger and two different West African nations run by army juntas, Gabon hasn’t been wracked by jihadi violence and had been seen as comparatively secure. But practically 40% of Gabonese ages 15-24 had been out of labor in 2020, in keeping with the World Bank.
Bongo acknowledged the widespread frustration over rising prices of residing in his Aug. 17 speech, and listed measures his authorities was making to include gasoline costs, make training extra inexpensive, and stabilize the value of baguettes.
Gabon is a member of the OPEC oil cartel, with a manufacturing of some 181,000 barrels of crude a day, making it the eighth-largest producer of oil in sub-Saharan Africa. It is house to over 2 million folks, and is barely smaller than the U.S. state of Colorado.
At a time when anti-France sentiment is spreading in lots of former colonies, the French-educated Bongo met President Emmanuel Macron in Paris in late June and shared pictures of them shaking arms.
France has 400 troopers in Gabon main a regional army coaching operation. They’ve not modified their regular operations right now, in keeping with the French army.
French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne mentioned Wednesday: “We are following the scenario in Gabon intently.
The mutinous officers vowed to respect “Gabon’s commitments to the national and international community.”
When requested about Gabon Wednesday, the EU’s prime diplomat, Josep Borrell mentioned it might be mentioned by EU ministers this week. Defense ministers from the 27-nation bloc are assembly in Spain on Wednesday, and overseas ministers on Thursday. Borrell will chair each conferences, and Niger may also be a spotlight.
“If this is confirmed, it’s another military coup, which increases instability in the whole region,” he mentioned.
Bongo’s household has long-standing ties to former colonial ruler France, courting to the four-decade presidency of his late father Omar Bongo. These have come beneath authorized scrutiny lately.
Several members of the Bongo household are beneath investigation in France, and a few have been given preliminary prices of embezzlement, cash laundering and different types of corruption, in keeping with French media reviews, pushed partly by a broader push for justice by non-governmental organizations which have lengthy accused a number of African heads of state of embezzling public funds and hiding them in France.
Bongo was in search of a 3rd time period in elections this weekend. He served two phrases since coming to energy in 2009 after the loss of life of his father who dominated the nation for 41 years. Another group of mutinous troopers tried a coup in January 2019, whereas Bongo was in Morocco recovering from a stroke, however they had been shortly overpowered.
In the election, Bongo confronted an opposition coalition led by economics professor and former training minister Albert Ondo Ossa, whose shock nomination got here every week earlier than the vote.
Every vote held in Gabon for the reason that nation’s return to a multi-party system in 1990 has resulted in violence. Clashes between authorities forces and protesters following the 2016 election killed 4 folks, in keeping with official figures. The opposition mentioned the loss of life toll was far greater.
Fearing violence, many individuals within the capital went to go to household in different components of the nation earlier than the election or left Gabon altogether. Others stockpiled meals or bolstered safety of their houses.
After final week’s vote, the Central African nation’s Communications Minister, Rodrigue Mboumba Bissawou, introduced a nightly curfew from 7 p.m. to six a.m., and mentioned web entry was being restricted indefinitely to quell disinformation and requires violence.
NetBlocks, a company monitoring web entry worldwide, mentioned web service noticed a “partial restoration” in Gabon after the coup.
Mednick reported from Dakar, Senegal. Associated Press reporters Cara Anna in Nairobi, Kenya, Jamey Keaton in Geneva; Angela Charleton in Paris; and Jon Gambrell and Malak Harb in Dubai, United Arab Emirates contributed.
