Gabon military says it is seizing power just days after presidential election

Military officers have taken to Gabon’s state television to say they are overturning the recent presidential election.

A spokesman for the group said: “We reaffirm our commitment to respecting Gabon’s commitments to the national and international community.”

The soldiers, including members from the gendarme, the republican guard and other factions of the security forces, called for calm among the population.

Gabon’s President Ali Bongo Ondimba, 64, was seeking a third term in elections that could extend his family’s 55-year political dynasty.

He served two terms since coming to power in 2009 after the death of his father, Omar Bongo, who ruled the country for 41 years.

There were fears of violence before the election due to deep-seated grievances among the population of some 800,000 people.

Nearly 40% of Gabonese aged 15 to 24 were out of work in 2020, according to the World Bank.

After last week’s vote, the Central African nation’s communications minister, Rodrigue Mboumba Bissawou, said on state television that there would a nightly curfew from 7pm to 6am.

He said internet access was being restricted indefinitely as there had been calls for violence and the spreading of disinformation.

Every vote held in Gabon since the country’s return to a multi-party system in 1990 has ended in violence.

Clashes between government forces and protesters following the 2016 election killed four people, according to official figures. The opposition said the death toll was far higher.

In anticipation of post-electoral violence, many people in the capital went to visit family in other parts of the country or left Gabon altogether. Others stockpiled food or bolstered security in their homes.