8 things to know about the coup in Gabon
Eight facts about Gabon and the coup d'état that took place at the hands of a group of soldiers, as happened about a month ago in Niger. The point of Riccardo Pennisi, geopolitical analyst of Aspenia
Coup d'état also in Gabon. The 9th in three years in central-western Africa. The seizure of power by a group of soldiers takes place in these hours.
8 things 8.
1. The military appeared on the screens of Gabon24 (the local all-news) to announce the cancellation of the elections just held (August 26), the dissolution of public institutions and the closure of the country's borders. As in Niger, among them there are many members of the presidential guard – recognizable by the green beret – as well as army soldiers and senior police officers.
2. In the elections, Ali Bongo Ondimba was re-elected president for the third time. He has been in power for 14 years. Power he had received from the hands of his father, Omar Bongo, who had held him since 1967. A rather long-lived dynasty: "early retirement", said the military.
3. The insubordinate military have said they are acting explicitly against his "irresponsible", "sick" "regime", "which has degraded social cohesion". They created a “Committee for the Transition and Restoration of Institutions”. Their statement seems to have been copied verbatim from that of the military who took power in Niger a few weeks ago. They will soon decide – they say – which of them will lead the Committee – and therefore the country.
4. According to official results, Ali Bongo won the presidential election with 64% of the votes (more than half of the voters cast their votes); his rival Albert Ondo Ossa stopped at 31. However, Ondo's committee denounced fraud (without proof) and invited Bongo to hand over power.
5. Shots were heard in the capital Libreville, but there are no reports of violent clashes or deaths. However, many had already left the city for fear of violence.
6. Among the international reactions, those of France and China stand out, from which the situation is constantly monitored. Beijing has asked that Ali Bongo's safety be guaranteed. Gabon is a former French colony and Bongo last met Macron in June; 400 French soldiers are stationed in the country. It does not appear that Wagner is connected to the events in any way. Prigozhin is no longer with us and we don't know if he would have complimented the coup plotters, as he did the Nigeriens.
7. The economy of Gabon (2.4 million inhabitants) largely relies on the export of natural resources such as oil, manganese and construction timber, largely destined for China. The extraction of oil and manganese is instead managed mainly by French multinationals such as Total and Eramet.
8. More than 90% of the country is covered in rainforest, a resource that Ali Bongo's governments have tried to monetize by selling "carbon credits", i.e. certificates that allow CO2 emissions to be exchanged for environmental projects, to companies and governments of half the world.
A deal that now passes into the hands of the military; “We will take Gabon on the road to happiness,” they promised.
(The text is taken from Riccardo Pennisi's LinkedIn profile )
This is a machine translation from Italian language of a post published on Start Magazine at the URL https://www.startmag.it/mondo/8-cose-da-sapere-sul-colpo-di-stato-in-gabon/ on Sat, 02 Sep 2023 07:53:07 +0000.