A circulating video clip showed the moment the military coup was announced against power in Gabon, through an announcement by a group of army officers on official television in the African country.
And the officers announced their seizure of power, in the early hours of Wednesday morning, when they announced the cancellation of elections, the dissolution of institutions and the closure of borders until further notice, amid hearing gunfire from automatic weapons in Libreville, the capital. The fate of Gabonese President Ali Bongo is not yet known, according to his family.
The group consisting of about 12 Gabonese soldiers, one of whom said that he speaks on behalf of the “Committee for the Transition and Restoration of Institutions,” stressing that they represent all the security and defense forces in the country.
The military, who confirmed that they were speaking on behalf of the “Committee for the Transitional Phase and Restoration of Institutions”, declared that “because of irresponsible governance represented in the continuous deterioration of social cohesion, which may push the country into chaos (…) we decided to defend peace by ending the existing regime.”
Ali Bongo, who has ruled Gabon for 14 years, was re-elected as president of the country for a third term, with 64.27% of the vote, according to what the National Authority in charge of elections announced earlier today.
