Gabon’s mutinous soldiers announce new leader
After placing President Ali Bongo Ondimba, who was declared the victor of Saturday’s election, under house arrest, mutinous Gabonese soldiers on Wednesday (August 30) proclaimed their republican guard chief as the country’s leader.
The coup leaders announced on Gabon’s state television that Gen. Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema has been “unanimously” chosen to head the country as president of a transitional committee. Oligui is Bongo’s cousin.
In a video from his residence while he was detained, Bongo urged his supporters to “make noise” The crowds that took to the streets of the capital, however, celebrated the revolt against a dynasty accused of amassing wealth from the country’s natural resources while the majority of its citizens suffered.
“Thank you, army. Finally, we’ve been waiting a long time for this moment,” said Yollande, standing in front of republican guard members who had helped stage the takeover.
Coup leaders prolonged a nighttime curfew imposed after the election on August 26.
From 6 p.m. to 6 a.m., Gabonaises will be unable to move freely.
The previous nighttime curfew was in effect between 7 p.m. and 6 a.m.
“The president of the transition insists on the need to maintain calm and serenity in our beautiful country … At the dawn of a new era, we will guarantee the peace, stability, and dignity of our beloved Gabon,” Lt. Col. Ulrich Manfoumbi said on state TV Wednesday (Aug. 30).
Bongo clan
Oligui, the new military commander, was the bodyguard of Bongo’s father, the late President Omar Bongo, according to Desire Ename, a journalist for the local news outlet Echos du Nord. Before becoming chief of the republican guard in 2019, Oligui was also head of the Secret Service.
Ali Bongo Ondimba, 64, has served two terms since assuming power in 2009 following the death of his father, who had governed the country for 41 years, and his reign has been met with widespread discontent. In 2019, another group of mutinous soldiers attempted a coup but were swiftly defeated.
The former French colony is a member of OPEC, but its oil wealth is concentrated in the hands of a few, and according to the World Bank, nearly 40% of Gabonese aged 15 to 24 were unemployed in 2020. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, its hydrocarbon export revenues were $6 billion in 2022.
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According to Sherpa, a French accountability organization, nine members of the Bongo family are under investigation in France, with some facing preliminary allegations of embezzlement, money laundering, and other forms of corruption. The group claims that investigators have linked the family to over $92 million worth of properties in France, including two villas in Nice.
A spokesman for the coup leaders stated that Bongo’s “unpredictable, irresponsible governance” posed a threat to the stability of the nation. In a subsequent statement, the leaders of the coup claimed that members of the president’s inner circle were arrested for “high betrayal of state institutions, massive embezzlement of public funds, and international financial embezzlement.”
The Bongo family has been linked to the “systematic misappropriation of state revenues,” but the most recent events “should be viewed with great caution, as they offer no guarantee of good governance and democratic transition,” Sherpa said in a statement.
Bongo requesting assistance
In weekend elections, Bongo confronted an opposition coalition led by former education minister and economics professor Albert Ondo Ossa.
In Libreville, minutes after Bongo was declared the winner, gunfire was audible. Later, a dozen uniformed soldiers appeared on state television to declare their coup d’état.
Libreville is a bastion of the opposition, but it was unclear how the rebellion was viewed in the rural areas, where Bongo’s support is traditionally stronger.
In a video of himself seated in a chair with a bookshelf behind him, the president pleaded for support.
He stated in English, “I’m calling on you to make noise, to make noise, to make noise.” The video was distributed to The Associated Press by BTP Advisers, a communications firm that assisted the president with election polling.
Mark Pursey, chief executive officer of BTP Advisers, stated that soldiers confiscated the phones of Bongo users shortly after the video was made public. Pursey stated that Bongo’s son and communications director were being held at military headquarters.
Secretary-General of the United Nations Antonio Guterres condemned the rebellion and urged military leaders to protect Bongo and his family, according to spokesman Stephane Dujarric.
The opposition leader, Ossa, told the AP that he was unable to comment and was awaiting the development of the situation.
The officers pledged to honor “Gabon’s commitments to the national and international community.” However, the coup posed a hazard to the economy.
A man who answered the phone at the airport stated that all flights had been canceled on Wednesday (30 August), and the private intelligence firm Ambrey reported that all operations at the country’s primary port in Libreville had been suspended. Several French companies announced that they would cease operations.
International responses
The commission of the African Union condemned the rebellion and demanded the restoration of “democratic constitutional order.”
The Kingdom of Morocco, where Bongo recuperated in 2018 after suffering a stroke, also responded.
The significance of “preserving stability” is emphasized. Rabat stated that it had “faith in the wisdom of the Gabonese nation, its [leaders], and its institutions” to find a means to “move forward with the utmost interest of the nation as a priority” to “safeguard the gains made and meet the aspirations of the Gabonese people.”
Wang Wenbin, spokesman for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, urged “all sides” to “start from the fundamental interests of the country and the people, resolve differences through dialogue, and restore normal order as soon as possible.”
John Kirby, spokesman for the National Security Council of the White House, stated that the events in Gabon were being followed with “great concern.” It was too soon to label it a trend or “domino effect” in military takeovers on the continent, he said.
In a statement released by his office, however, Nigerian President Bola Tinubu cited a “contagion of autocracy” that is spreading across the continent. It was stated that he was conferring with other state leaders and the EU.
“France condemns the ongoing military coup in Gabon and is closely monitoring the situation,” French government spokesperson Olivier Veran said on Wednesday (30 August).
France has maintained strong economic, diplomatic, and military ties with Gabon, as well as stationed 400 personnel there for a military training operation. Other than the U.S. Embassy, the U.S. Africa Command has no forces stationed in the Central African nation.
Gabon, unlike Niger and two other West African nations ruled by military juntas, had been viewed as relatively stable and free of jihadi violence.
Gabon’s mutinous soldiers announce new leader
