Gabon’s military forces hailed General Brice Oligui Nguema as new leader of the coutry and celebrated his coming to power by holding a parade for him along the streets of the capital, as world leaders roundly judged the coup – according to Independent.
General Oligui was “unanimously” appointed as a president of a transitional committee to lead the country by mutinous soldiers on Gabon’s governmental TV.
Footage from the West African country showed how the new leader was carried on the shoulders of soldiers who cheered for him in the streets of capital Libreville.
World leaders have judged the toppling of president Ali Bongo’s government and expressed concerns about the global implications for instability in the former French colony. Twelve senior officers came on television to announce a coup d’état, minutes after the central African country’s election body declared Mr. Bongo had won a third term in a controversial election.The Bongo family’s 55-year-long rule came to an end due to the coup. Mr. Bongo and other politicians were placed in house arrest and military leaders seized their phones after the announcement. Mr Bongo called on people to come out on the streets in his support and “make noise” having published a video from the detention centre before his phone was taken away.
“I’m calling you to make noise, to make noise, to make noise really,”he said in English.
However, the resignation has produced celebrations along the streets of Libreville, lots of people were dancing and singing there. The capital has been the last bastion of the opposition party that lost the latest election.
Some people had a longtime grievance of the Bongo family among some because the dynasty was accused of making a fortune through the country’s resources as many of its citizens almost struggled to survive.
UN chief Antonio Guterres condemned the coup and urged military chiefs to ensure the Mr. Bongo’s safety and that of his family, spokesman Stephane Dujarric claimed. The UK also judged the “unconstitutional military takeover” of power in Gabon. “The UK condemns the unconstitutional military takeover of power in Gabon and calls for the restoration of constitutional government,” the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office said on Wednesday.
“We accept concerns raised regarding the recent electoral process, including restrictions on media freedom.”
Canada claimed it was deeply worried by the situation in Gabon and required a fast and calm coming back of power to democratic and inclusive civilian-led governance.
French government spokesperson Olivier Veran claimed: “We condemn the military coup and recall our commitment to free and transparent elections.”
General Oligui, a cousin of Mr Bongo, was his father’s bodyguard in past, according to Desire Ename, a journalist with Echos du Nord, a local media outlet. The late Omar Bongo had run Gabon for 42 years until his death in 2009. The general led of the secret service in 2019 before he replaced Mr. Bongo’s step-brother to become Gabon’s Republican Guard.
The coup leaders swore to honor “Gabon’s commitments to the national and international community” and blamed the ousted president of “unpredictable, irresponsible governance” that threw the country into chaos.
The leaders of the coup said that people from the president’s inner circle had been arrested for “high betrayal of state institutions, massive embezzlement of public funds (and) international financial embezzlement”. Noureddin Bongo Valentin, the president’s son, and others were among those arrested on allegations of corruption and treason.
Experts have warned that the coup will bring more volatility to the region and actual intentions of takeover of power could be emerging from divisions among the ruling elite than efforts to improve the lives of the Gabonese ordinary residents.
The Bongo family is connected to “systematic misappropriation of state revenues”, but the recent events “should be viewed with great caution, as they offer no guarantee of good governance and democratic transition,” said Sherpa, a French non-profit.
