On Wednesday, many woke to the news of a coup in the oil-rich Gabon in Central Africa.<\/p>\n
President Ali Bongo, who was declared winner of Saturday\u2019s election, was removed from power.<\/p>\n
Bongo, who came to power after his father\u2019s death in 2009, won a third term in an election which opposition argued was heavily flawed.<\/p>\n
Read the full statement of the coupists below:<\/p>\n
\u201cOur beautiful country, Gabon, has always been a haven of peace. Today, the country is going through a serious institutional, political, economic and social crisis. We are therefore forced to admit that the organisation of the general elections of 26 August 2023 did not meet the conditions for a transparent, credible and inclusive ballot so much hoped for by the people of Gabon.<\/p>\n
\u201cAdded to this is irresponsible and unpredictable governance, resulting in a continuing deterioration in social cohesion, with the risk of leading the country into chaos. Today, 30 August 2023, we \u2014 the defence and security forces, gathered as the Committee for the Transition and Restoration of Institutions (CTRI) on behalf of the people of Gabon and as guarantors of the institutions\u2019 protection \u2014 have decided to defend peace by putting an end to the current regime. The borders are closed until further notice.<\/p>\n
\u201cAll the institutions of the Republic are dissolved: the government, the Senate, the National Assembly, the Constitutional Court, the Economic, Social and Environmental Council and the Gabonese Elections Centre.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe call for calm and serenity from the public, the communities of sister countries settled in Gabon, and the Gabonese diaspora. We reaffirm our commitment to respecting Gabon\u2019s commitments to the national and international community. People of Gabon, we are finally on the road to happiness. May God and the spirits of our ancestors bless Gabon. Honour and loyalty to our homeland.\u201d<\/p>\n
On Wednesday, many woke to the news of a coup in the oil-rich Gabon in Central Africa. President Ali Bongo, who was declared winner of Saturday\u2019s election, was removed from…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":107385,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-107384","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-exclusive"],"yoast_head":"\n