"Se la notizia è confermata, si tratta di un altro colpo di stato militare che aumenta l'instabilità dell'intera regione", ha dichiarato il responsabile della politica estera dell'Unione Europea Josep Borrell.

Coup In Gabon After Ali Bongo Wins Disputed Elections

30/08/2023
3 minutes

A military group announced the seizure of power in Gabon. This happened on Wednesday, shortly after the results of the presidential elections were announced, in which Ali Bongo became the winner for the third time.

Gabon is one of the richest countries in West Africa: with a population of just over 2 million, it has huge natural resources. However, a third of the population lives in extreme poverty, which is one of the main reproaches against the establishment that is believed to have failed to use oil revenues to ensure the general welfare. Since 1967 (shortly after gaining independence from France in 1960), the country has been run by the same family. Suspended President Ali Bongo is the son of Omar Bongo, who held office from 1967 to 2009.

The officers who carried out the coup explained on Gabon 24 TV channel that “the results of the elections have been cancelled, all borders are closed until further notice, and state institutions have been dissolved.” Thus, the dissolution concerns the government, the senate, the national assembly, the constitutional court, and the electoral commission. The military added that “the country is going through a serious institutional, political, economic, and social crises and that the August 26 elections lacked transparency and therefore had no credibility.”

According to Reuters, the recent elections were held in what could be described as an “alarming” atmosphere: there were not enough international observers on the sites, and the authorities tried to “isolate” the country by shutting down the Internet and imposing a nightly curfew.

The results of the vote released by the Gabon Electoral Commission showed that Ali Bongo won with 64.27% of the vote against 30.77% that went to his main opponent, Albert Ondo Ossa, who denounced electoral fraud.

“If these events are confirmed, another military coup has taken place that will increase the instability of the entire region,” explained EU High Representative for Foreign Policy Josep Borrell. “The entire region, first the Central African Republic, then Mali and Burkina Faso, now Niger and, possibly, Gabon are in a very difficult situation, and the ministers (of defense of the EU countries – ed.) should certainly think deeply about what is happening there and how we can improve our policy towards these countries. This is a big problem for Europe.”