Gabon President Ali Bongo and son under house arrest by military rebels as new leader declared
- The coup came as President Ali Bongo, whose family has ruled Gabon for over 55 years, won a third term following Saturday’s elections
- TV images later showed the head of the Republican Guard, General Brice Oligui Nguema, being carried in triumph by hundreds of soldiers
Rebel officers in the oil-rich central African state of Gabon announced on Wednesday they had seized power following disputed elections in which President Ali Bongo Ondimba, in power since 2009, had been declared victor.
Bongo, 64, whose family has ruled Gabon for over 55 years, was placed under house arrest and one of his sons arrested for treason, the coup leaders said.
In a dramatic predawn address, a group of officers declared “all the institutions of the republic” had been dissolved, the election results cancelled and the borders closed.
“Today, the country is going through a serious institutional, political, economic and social crisis,” according to the statement read on state TV.
It was read by an officer flanked by a group of a dozen army colonels, members of the elite Republican Guard, regular soldiers and others.
The elections “did not meet the conditions for a transparent, credible and inclusive ballot so much hoped for by the people of Gabon,” the statement said.