By Elizabeth Elemi
The latest coup in Africa took place on August 30, 2023 in Libreville, the capital city of Gabon, hours after the electoral commission announced that President Ali Bango Ondimba has been elected to a third term.
Following this, a group of Gabonese Military officers on National Television said, they have seized power in the capital in order to overturn the results of the recent election.
According to AFP, one officer read a joint statement on TV channel Gabon 24, while about a dozen others stood silently behind him in military fatigues and berets.
The soldier’s statement, which was read out in French, read in part:
“Our 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.
“Added to this is irresponsible and unpredictable governance, resulting in a continuing deterioration in social cohesion, with the risk of leading the country into chaos…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.”
The soldiers who seized power said they were speaking on behalf of the “Committee for the Transition and Restoration of Institutions”, and announced the annulment of the election and closure of all borders.
They also announced the dissolution of institutions of state including “the government, the Senate, the National Assembly, the Constitutional Court, the Economic, Social and Environmental Council and the Gabonese Elections Centre”.
Hours after the announcement, President Bongo appeared in a video made from an unconfirmed location, obtained by the media hours after the announcement was made.
The video shows Gabon’s deposed president, Ali Bongo Ondimba, calling on his “friends around the world to make noise” over coup.
Gabon said, “I’m sending a message to all friends that we have all over the world to tell them to make noise for (…) the people here who arrested me and my family.”
However, on Thursday, August 31, Gabon announced that General Brice Oligui Nguema will be sworn in as the country’s “transitional president” at the constitutional court on Monday, September 4. No details were given on the duration of the transitional institutions.
According to Gabon electoral umpire, President Bongo, who had held power for 14 years, was re-elected for a third term with 64.27 percent of votes cast, while, Albert Ondo Ossa, Bongo’s main challenger got 30.77 percent of the vote.
Africa Facts Zone reported that, Omar Bongo, the father of Ali Bongo, had 70 bank accounts, 39 apartments, 2 Ferraris, 6 Mercedes Benz cars, 3 Porsches and a Bugatti in France, as a president. He ruled for 42 years (from 1967 to 2009), before his son took over from him in 2009.
With the obvious fact that the Gabonese coup may be tied to the sit tight entitlement of the Bongo’s family over the country for more than five decades, there are perceived scares of pending coup d’etats across Africa especially in countries where a single President has been serving for over 20 years.
Some of these countries with decade long presidents includes, Teodoro Obiang of Equatorial Guinea serving 44 years as president since 1979, Paul Biya of Cameroon, 41 years since 1982 till date.
Yoweri Museveni of Uganda, 37 years since 1986 till date, Isaias Afwerki of Eritrea, 30 years sitting as president since 1993 and Dennis Sassou of Congo, 26 years since 1997.
In July, there was a coup in Niger Republic, and the military is still there, above all sanctions by neighboring country Nigeria ans its West Africa economic bloc, ECOWAS. The junta has said it will take three years for it to redraw the disciplinary rule.
The wave of junta uprisings across the sahel region and central Africa countries, is a wake up call to governments that are not fulfilling its promises of good governance to citizens.
Democracy is further threatened and may become elusive in some countries when presidents who had served their required constitutional terms, still hold on to power.
