Barely a few minutes after the announcement of Ali Bongo Ondimba's victory for a third term, this Wednesday, August 30, 2023. Soldiers quickly spoke on television to declare that they were taking control of the country. This declaration was followed by detonations heard in Libreville, the capital.
Ali Bongo, who led the country for 14 years, succeeding his father, Omar Bongo Ondimba, who led the country for 41 years, was declared the winner of Saturday's presidential election with 64.27% of the vote. However, a group of a dozen Gabonese soldiers, identified by their green berets from the Republican Guard as well as members of the regular army and the police, broadcast a press release on the Gabon24 television channel . In this press release, they announced the cancellation of the elections which they described as “truncated results”. In addition, they dissolved “all the institutions of the Republic”.
The opposition has long denounced the perpetuation of a “Bongo dynasty” which has spanned more than 55 years. The opposition candidate, chosen only eight days before the vote, had little time to campaign before this single-round election.
A representative of the group said their action was motivated by the deterioration of social cohesion under the current regime, which they consider "irresponsible and unpredictable", threatening to drag the country into chaos. They said their intention was to “defend peace” by ending the current government.
The military called on the population to “serenity” while emphasizing their commitment to Gabon’s international commitments. They also announced the closure of borders until further notice. Alongside their statement, automatic weapons fire was heard in Libreville.
According to sources close to power, President Ali Bongo has taken refuge in Morocco with his family.
In 2016, Ali Bongo won the presidential election with a lead of only 5,500 votes. This sparked significant tensions, with his main opponent Jean Ping contesting the results and proclaiming himself president. The violence that followed in Libreville had caused several deaths, the authorities reporting five dead while the opposition mentioned about thirty victims, claiming that they had been shot by the police.