Military has taken power form President Ali Bongo of Gabon. The soldiers appeared on live Television and announced that they are taking power after President Ali Bongo was declared the winner following the recent elections. Bongo’s family has been in power for over 5 decades.
A group of soldiers appeared on TV today August 30 to announce that they had taken power after Ali Bongo was re-elected.
They appeared on Gabon 24 where they declared that they represented all defenses and security agencies in Gabon. They announced that the election results were cancelled, all borders were closed indefinitely, and all state agencies were dissolved.
“In the name of the Gabonese people … we have decided to defend the peace by putting an end to the current regime,” the soldiers said.
The opposition parties claimed that there were numerous malpractices and hence pushed for change in Gabon.
Following the elections, President Ali Bongo suspended some foreign broadcasts and cut the internet service and imposed a nighttime nationwide curfew. Early on, the regime had barred international elections observers from participating. These actions raised concerns on lack of transparency in the elections. This is what triggered solders to take over the country’s leadership.
Gabon effectively becomes the latest country in West Africa to have their political leader overthrown. Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger are being ruled by Junta governments.
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