THE NEW MILITARY RULER OF GABON.......
Brice Nguema, The Man Behind The Gabon Coup.
- A dozen mutinous soldiers appeared on Gabonese national television, announcing the cancellation of recent election results and the dissolution of “all the institutions of the republic”.
- Wednesday’s announcement came after President Ali Bongo Ondimba, 64 was re-elected for a third term, in an election the opposition described as a ‘fraud orchestrated’ by the ruling party.
- The Bongo family, one of Africa’s most powerful dynasties, has been in power since 1967.
- The president has confirmed he is under house arrest and called for help, urging citizens to ‘make noise’.
- There have been scenes of celebration in the Gabonese capital, Libreville since the military takeover.
Commonwealth: Gabon coup ‘deeply concerning’
The Commonwealth has voiced fears about the military coup in Gabon, which joined the bloc last year with Togo, another former French colony.
Secretary-General Patricia Scotland said the situation was “deeply concerning”, adding that the bloc was monitoring the situation closely.
“The Commonwealth Charter is clear that member states must uphold the rule of law and the principles of democracy at all times,” Scotland said.
How many coups have there been in Africa?
Out of the 486 attempted or successful military coups carried globally since 1950, Africa accounts for the largest number with 214, of which at least 106 have been successful.
Based on data compiled by American researchers Jonathan M Powell and Clayton L Thyne, at least 45 of the 54 nations across the African continent have experienced at least a single coup attempt since 1950.
Gabon’s Assala Energy says oil production unaffected
Assala Energy says its oil production in Gabon has been unaffected by the military coup in the country.
“We can confirm that all our personnel are safe, our operations continue as usual and our production is not affected,” a company spokesperson said.
Gabon produces about 200,000 barrels a day (bpd) of crude oil, making it the second-smallest OPEC producer.
Coup leader says Bongo will ‘enjoy all his rights’
Speaking to the French newspaper Le Monde, coup leader Brice Oligui Nguema says the president will “enjoy all his rights” after the military announced it has placed him under house arrest.
“He is a Gabonese head of state. He is retired. He enjoys all his rights. He is a normal Gabonese, like everyone else,” Nguema said.
Nguema will not confirm whether he will declare himself the new president of the West African country.
“I do not declare myself yet. I do not envisage anything for the moment,” he said.
“This is a debate that we are going to have with all the generals. We will meet at 2pm [13:00 GMT]. It will be about reaching a consensus. Everyone will put forward ideas, and the best ones will be chosen as well as the name of the person who will lead the transition,” he added.
Culled from Aljazeera
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