Gabon: Brice Oligui Nguema Becomes Transitional President

General Brice Oligui Nguema will become the Transitional President of Ga-bon and will be sworn in on Monday, August 4, 2023.
Former Head of State Ali Bongo was overthrown in a military coup on Au-gust 30, immediately after summing up the results of the disputed presidential election where he was proclaimed the winner. It would be the third term for the 80-year-old ousted president, heir to a “dynasty” that has ruled this West African country for more than 50 years.
The Gabon24 broadcaster reported about the statement of the Committee for the Transition and Restoration of Institutions (CTRI). It explains that “after the meeting attended by all the commanders-in-chief, chiefs of staff, and generals of the second division of the Gabonese Republic, General Brice Oligui Nguema was unanimously appointed Chairman of the Committee for the Transition and Restoration of Institutions, Chairman for the Transitional Period.”
After that, the general ordered the restoration of the Internet, radio and television, “insisting on the need to maintain calm and serenity in our beautiful country.” He is committed to preserving the economic mechanisms that guarantee social prosperity. “As the new era dawns, we will ensure peace, stability, and dignity in our beloved Gabon.”
The coup in Gabon was the eighth in Africa in the past three years. As in the case of Niger, where legitimately elected President Mohamed Bazoum was ousted on July 27, this is a former French colony that has been independent since 1967. The country is rich in oil and manganese, which are mined by the French company Eramet.