1970-01-01 02:00:00
Hundreds of people took to the streets of the capital Libreville to celebrate the morning after the overnight announcement, which appeared to have been filmed from the presidential palace, according to television footage.
In another statement read on national television, military officials said they had detained Bongo, who in 2009 took over from his father, Omar, who had ruled Gabon since 1967. Opponents say the family has done little to share the wealth of oil and mining in the country with its 2.3 million inhabitants.
If successful, the coup would be the eighth in West and Central Africa since 2020. The latest, in Niger, took place in July. Military officers also seized power in Mali, Guinea, Burkina Faso and Chad, erasing democratic gains since the 1990s.
The officials, calling themselves the Committee for the Transition and Restoration of Institutions, said Gabon was “going through a serious institutional, political, economic and social crisis” and said the Aug. 26 election was not transparent or credible.
Gunshots were briefly heard in Libreville following the declaration announcing Bongo’s ousting, but the streets were largely calm before celebrations began. Later, officers fanned out to guard the city’s main intersections.
There was no immediate comment from the government of Gabon.
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