In the aftermath of this week’s military coup, the Peace and Security Council of the African Union announced on Thursday that it had resolved to “immediately suspend” Gabon.
On X, previously Twitter, the organization declared that it “strongly condemns the military coup that overthrew President Ali Bongo of the Republic of Gabon on August 30, 2023.”
It “decides to immediately suspend Gabon’s participation in all AU activities, including those of its organs and institutions, pending the restoration of the nation’s constitutional order.”
The announcement followed a council meeting convened to address the situation in Gabon, prompted by the recent coup that occurred after contested elections, resulting in Bongo’s contested victory.
This session was overseen by Bankole Adeoye of Nigeria, the AU Commissioner for Political Affairs, and Willy Nyamitwe from Burundi, who currently holds the council’s rotational chairmanship.
On the preceding Wednesday, Moussa Faki Mahamat, the Head of the African Union Commission, called upon the Gabonese military and security forces to ensure the safety of Bongo, who the coup leaders claimed was put under house arrest.
Faki also denounced the coup, characterizing the events in Gabon as a “blatant breach” of the legal and political frameworks of the African Union headquartered in Addis Ababa.
In his statement on X, Faki urged all political, civil, and military stakeholders in Gabon to prioritize peaceful political avenues, facilitating a swift return to democratic constitutional governance within the country.
This move mirrors a similar action taken earlier this month by the African Union, which suspended Niger after a coup in the West African nation in July that ousted the elected president, Mohamed Bazoum.