CNN –
A group of military officers said on Wednesday they had seized power in Gabon, just minutes after President Ali Bongo was declared the winner of a disputed election, extending his family’s rule over the central African country for more than half a century.
The officials, who claimed to represent “defense and security forces” in the country, made the announcement in a televised address on the Gabon24 news channel. It was viewed by CNN on X, formerly known as Twitter.
“On behalf of the Gabonese people and guarantor of the protection of the institutions, CTRI [the Committee for the Transition and Restoration of Institutions] has decided to defend peace by putting an end to the existing regime,” a military officer said in the broadcast.
CNN cannot independently confirm the video and has not yet been able to reach the Gabon government for comment.
In the broadcast, the military officer said the election results would be declared invalid and the country’s borders would be closed until further notice.
“All institutions of the republic will be dissolved: in particular the government, the Senate, the National Assembly, the Constitutional Court, the Economic, Social and Environmental Council and the Electoral Council of Gabon,” the official said.
“We call on the people of Gabon, the communities of neighboring countries living in Gabon and the Gabonese diaspora to remain calm.”
Loud gunshots were heard in the capital Libreville, a Portal reporter said after the television appearance.
If successful, the takeover would be the eighth coup in West and Central Africa since 2020, Portal reported. Coups in Mali, Guinea, Burkina Faso, Chad and Niger have undermined democratic progress in recent years.
Most recently, the Nigerian military junta seized control of the West African country in late July, prompting the African Union to suspend Niger’s membership in the Group of 55 member states. Earlier this month, Nigeria’s military ruler proposed a return to democracy within three years and said the principles of the transition would be decided within the next 30 days.
Earlier on Wednesday, Gabon’s electoral body said Bongo had won the presidential election with 64.27% of the vote, after parliamentary elections were plagued by delays and the opposition called them fraudulent.
Bongo’s main challenger, joint candidate Albert Ondo Ossa, came second with 30.77%, the electoral body said. Bongo’s team had rejected Ondo Ossa’s allegations of electoral irregularities.
Ali Bongo, 64, took over from his father Omar Bongo, who died of cardiac arrest in 2009 during colon cancer treatment in a Spanish clinic after almost 42 years in office.
The elder Bongo came to power in 1967, seven years after the country’s independence from France.
He ruled the small country with an iron fist, introducing a one-party system for years and only allowing multi-party rule in 1991, although his party remained in control of the government.
In this week’s election, Ali Bongo faced off against 18 challengers, six of whom backed Ondo Ossa, a former minister and university professor, to narrow the race. Many opposition figures pushed for change in the oil-rich but poverty-stricken country of 2.3 million people.
Tensions are high as unrest is feared following Saturday’s presidential, legislative and legislative votes. A lack of international observers, the suspension of some foreign broadcasts and the authorities’ decision to cut internet service nationwide and impose a nighttime curfew after the poll have raised concerns about the transparency of the electoral process.
Ahead of the election, the non-profit organization Reporters Without Borders condemned the Gabonese government for obstructing foreign press coverage of the event.
“All foreign media reporters who wanted to travel to Gabon to cover these elections were turned away,” the organization said, citing several journalists and news agencies.
“It is completely anachronistic to deprive foreign media of the opportunity to report on such an important moment in the democratic life of a country where the need for diverse reporting for the population is crucial.”
And on Friday, a day before the vote, the United Nations released a statement urging a “peaceful, inclusive and credible electoral process.” It called on all stakeholders, including election candidates and their supporters, to “place the national interest above all other considerations.”
This is far from the first time Gabon has seen a power struggle or unrest over Bongo’s rule, something critics often dispute.
In 2016, the Parliament building was burned down amid violent street protests against Bongo’s controversial re-election to his second term. The government blocked internet access for several days.
In 2019, there was an attempted coup in which a group of soldiers and military officers stormed the headquarters of the state-run radio and television station, taking employees hostage and declaring they had taken control of the country.
They expressed their dissatisfaction with Bongo as president and promised to restore “democracy” to the country – before the Gabonese defense and security forces stepped in to end the takeover and rescue the hostages. Two soldiers were killed and eight military officers were arrested.