Gabonese President Ali Bongo Ondimba called on all “friendly countries” to “make noise” against the attempted coup in the Central African country, in a video he says was recorded at his residence.
Ali Bongo appears in a video sitting on a chair with a bookcase behind, in the first public appearance since a group of a dozen soldiers announced on state television on Wednesday the seizure of power in the country, the cancellation of the elections presidential elections than his re-election and the dissolution of all democratic institutions.
The head of state also said that he is at his residence and that his wife and son are in different places.
Meanwhile, the state television channel Gabon 24 broadcast images of Brice Oligui Nguema, commander of the Republican Guard – which until now guaranteed the security of the head of state himself – being carried on the shoulders of a group of soldiers who shouted “president, president “. “.
Since early Wednesday morning, Gabon has been facing a coup carried out by the military, which began shortly after the announcement of the results of the elections held last Saturday the 26th, according to which President Ali Bongo Ondimba would remain in office. can. , continuing 55 years of his family’s dominance of power.
A group of Gabonese soldiers announced on television on Wednesday the cancellation of the presidential elections that re-elected Ali Bongo and the dissolution of all democratic institutions.
After verifying “irresponsible and unpredictable governance that translates into a continuous deterioration of social cohesion that runs the risk of bringing the country into chaos (…) it was decided to defend peace, putting an end to the current regime”, -he declared one of the soldiers
The same army, claiming to speak on behalf of an Institutional Restoration and Transition Committee, claimed that all borders in Gabon were “closed until further notice”.
According to Agence France-Presse journalists, automatic machine gun fire was heard during the television broadcast in Libreville.
Hours earlier, in the middle of the night, at 03:30 (same time in Lisbon), the Gabon Electoral Center (CGE, in its French acronym) had made public on state television, without prior notice, the official results of the elections. presidential election.
The electoral commission announced that President Ali Bongo Ondimba, in power for 14 years, won a third term in Saturday’s elections with 64.27% of the votes cast, defeating his main rival, Albert Ondo Ossa, who obtained 30.77% of the votes.
The announcement was made at a time when Gabon was under a curfew and internet access was suspended across the country, measures imposed by the government on election day Saturday.
Source: TSF
