2023 Gabonese coup d'état facts for kids
Quick facts for kids 2023 Gabonese coup d'état |
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 Map of Gabon |
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 Ali Bongo OndimbaRose Christiane Raponda Alain Claude Bilie By Nze |
Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema | ||||||
A coup d'état occurred in Gabon on 30 August 2023. Following contested results and political tension over a general election held on 26 August, the military ousted the reelected president, Ali Bongo Ondimba, whose victory was announced on 30 August.
The coup brought an end to the 56-year-long rule of the Bongo family over Gabon. It was also the eighth successful coup to occur in West and Central Africa since 2020, following similar occurrences in Mali (twice, in 2020 and 2021), Chad, Guinea, Burkina Faso (twice, in January and September 2022) and Niger.
Contents
Background
Since independence from France in 1960, Gabon has primarily been ruled by the Bongo family starting with President Omar Bongo in 1967 and, following his death in 2009, by his son Ali Bongo Ondimba. Ali Bongo Ondimba was re-elected in a controversial election in 2016 which prompted a failed coup attempt in 2019. Under the rule of the Bongo family the country had been plagued by accusations of corruption and nepotism, several elections had been tainted by reports of fraud or irregularities (notably, the official results of the 2016 election from the Bongo family's native province Haut-Ogooue showed Bongo receiving 95.5% of the vote on an alleged 99.9% turnout, an improbable result sparking widespread protests), and the Constitution and electoral laws had been changed multiple times in order to remove term limits, change the voting system to exploit the fractured opposition, and change the timing of elections to ensure the opposition could not rally following a win by the ruling party.
Despite being a member of OPEC, one of Africa's major producers of oil (which accounts for 60% of national revenue), and having one of the highest per-capita GDPs on the continent, Gabon faces serious socioeconomic crises: a third of the population lives below the poverty line of US$5.50 per day, and the unemployment rate among Gabonese aged 15 to 24 was estimated at 40% in 2020.
In a speech delivered on the country's Independence Day on 17 August, Bongo, a close ally of France, insisted that he would not allow Gabon to be subjected to "destabilization", referring to other recent coups in the region.
2023 elections
Following presidential elections held on 26 August 2023, the incumbent president, Ali Bongo, who had been seeking re-election for a third term, was declared the winner according to an official announcement made on 30 August. However, allegations of electoral fraud and irregularities immediately emerged from opposition parties and independent observers, casting doubt over the legitimacy of the election results. In particular, Albert Ondo Ossa, who came second in the elections, alleged electoral irregularities.
Just two hours before the polls closed, Ondo Ossa denounced "fraud orchestrated by the Bongo camp". He had already claimed victory and urged Bongo to facilitate a peaceful transfer of power based on his own purported vote count. The official election results were announced in the middle of the night on state television without prior notice. The country was placed under curfew and internet access was cut off throughout the nation, measures implemented by the government to prevent the spread of "false news" and potential violence.
Coup
Events
Amidst growing scrutiny and widespread protests over the conduct of the elections, the Armed Forces of Gabon launched a pre-dawn coup on 30 August. Soldiers led by high-ranking officers seized control of key government buildings, communication channels, and strategic points within the capital Libreville. Gunfire was also heard in the city.
The coup occurred just minutes after Bongo's re-election was declared at 3:30 am WAT by the Gabonese electoral commission with 64.27% of the vote. During a televised morning address from the Presidential Palace in Libreville on the state channel Gabon 24, around a dozen military personnel announced the end of the existing regime, with a military spokesperson claiming to be speaking on behalf of a "Committee for the Transition and Restoration of Institutions", citing "irresponsible, unpredictable governance" that had led to "a continuous degradation of social cohesion, risking pushing the country into chaos." Among the officers seen during the announcement were army colonels and members of the Republican Guard. They announced the annulment of the recent election, the dissolution of state institutions, and the closure of the country's borders until further notice. Internet access, which had been cut since the election, was reported to have been restored. and the curfew put in place since the election was shortened to nighttime starting on 31 August.
Arrests of Ali Bongo and other officials
The junta later announced the arrest and home detention of Bongo and his eldest son and adviser Noureddin Bongo Valentin, adding that the two were with family and doctors. The President of the National Assembly, Richard Auguste Onouviet, was also arrested by the junta, along with presidential chief of staff Ian Ghislain Ngoulou, his deputy Mohamed Ali Saliou, presidential spokesperson Jessye Ella Ekogha, another presidential adviser and the two top officials in Bongo's Gabonese Democratic Party (PDG). The junta said that they were arrested on charges that included treason, embezzlement, corruption and falsifying the president's signature.
Despite his detention, Bongo released a video on social media in which he appeared distressed while pleading for help in English, calling on his friends and supporters both in Gabon and around the world to "raise their voice" and "make noise" in response to the coup. Following his appeal, the CEO of a communications firm that helped Bongo during the election said that the military seized the phones of those who were with Bongo.
Proclamation of Brice Oligui as interim president
Brigadier general Brice Oligui, commander of the Republican Guard, was later installed as interim president by the military junta, and was seen on the shoulders of jubilant army personnel calling him the "president". In an interview with Le Monde later in the day, he referred to Bongo as "retired", and said that the military had staged the coup due to discontent that had been growing in the country since Bongo's stroke in 2018, his decision to run for a third term, the disregarding of the country's constitution and the conduct of the election. His appointment as interim president was confirmed by other generals, while a junta spokesman said that he would formally take office as "transitional president" at the headquarters of the constitutional court on 4 September.
See also
In Spanish: Golpe de Estado en Gabón de 2023 para niños
