A group of senior Gabonese military officers have taken power in the Central African nation, minutes after the state election body announced President Ali Bongo had won a third term.
The officers said they represented all security and defence forces in Gabon and that they had dissolved the government, the senate, the national assembly, the constitutional court and the election body. They also said they had closed all borders until further notice.
There was no immediate comment from the government or Bongo, who was last seen in public when he cast his vote in the election on Saturday.
The officers introduced themselves as members of The Committee of Transition and the Restoration of Institutions. They said they had taken power “in the name of the Gabonese people” and that they would “defend the peace by putting an end to the current regime.”
The coup comes amid tensions in Gabon after the disputed presidential election. The opposition has alleged widespread fraud in the vote, which Bongo won with 64% of the vote.
The coup is the eighth in West and Central Africa since 2020.
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