Borders of Gabon has been closed after a group of senior military officers announced on national television that they have seized power from President Ali Bongo, who won a disputed third term in the recent general election.
They said they represent all the security and defence forces of Gabon and that they have cancelled the election results, dissolved the state institutions, and closed all the borders until further notice.
The officers, who called themselves the Patriotic Movement of the Defence and Security Forces of Gabon, said they acted to defend the peace and restore democracy in the oil-rich but impoverished nation. They accused Bongo of being unfit to rule and of rigging the election, which was marred by delays, irregularities, and a lack of international observers .
Gunshots were heard in the capital, Libreville, shortly after the televised coup announcement, according to a Reuters reporter. The government has not yet commented on the situation, and it is unclear how much support the coup plotters have among the military and the population.
Bongo, who has been in power since 2009, succeeded his father Omar Bongo, who ruled Gabon for 42 years. He won the presidential election on Saturday with 64.27% of the vote, according to the official results announced on Wednesday by the Gabonese election centre. His main challenger, Albert Ondo Ossa, came second with 30.77% and denounced the vote as fraudulent .
The election was held amid high tensions and fears of violence, as Bongo sought to extend his family’s 56-year grip on power while the opposition demanded change. The authorities had suspended some foreign broadcasts, cut internet service, and imposed a night-time curfew nationwide after the poll, raising concerns about the transparency of the electoral process.