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Photos and videos of civilians rejoicing as soldiers walk by in Gabon’s capital Libreville have emerged online and on social media, just hours after military leaders announced the overthrow of the government.
President Ali Bongo Ondimba, who has been in power for 14 years and was re-elected for a third term in the early hours of Wednesday, is the apparent target of the coup.
Albert Ondo Ossa, Bongo’s major competitor, came in second place with 30.77%, according to Gabonese Electoral Commission CGE president Michel Stephane Bonda. Ondo Ossa declared victory on Tuesday, citing “irregularities,” and urged Ali Bongo to admit defeat.Ondo Ossa’s charges of electoral irregularities were denied by Bongo’s team.
All of it now appears to be in the past as the latest turn of events overshadows the proclamation of Ali Bongo as the election winner.
A statement read out on TV quoted the military as saying Bongo was under house arrest, surrounded by his family and doctors. The statement reportedly added that one of the president’s sons had been arrested for “treason”,
The announcement of Bongo’s sacking by the military came in the middle of an overnight curfew and amid a nationwide internet shutdown, imposed by Bongo’s government last week. Internet was restored on Wednesday morning after the TV address.
Gabon has been ruled by the same family – The Bongo’s – for more than 55 out of its 63 years since independence from France in 1960.
