On Thursday, the African Union’s Peace and Security Council announced the “immediate suspension of Gabon’s participation in various activities and affiliated institutions,” following a military coup that occurred this week.
The Council publicly condemned the military coup through a statement on their social media platform, stating that the forceful seizure of power in Gabon is unacceptable. The military coup ousted President Ali Bongo on August 30, prompting the African Union to suspend Gabon’s participation in all its activities and entities.
According to the statement, the suspension will remain in effect until “the constitutional order is restored in the country.” This decision was made during a meeting chaired by the African Union’s Commissioner for Political Affairs, Nigerian Bankole Adeoye, and the current Council President, Willy Nyamitwe from Burundi.
In related news, gunfire was heard in Gabon’s capital, Libreville, earlier on Wednesday. Members of the Gabonese military, led by the Commander of the Republican Guard, Bries Oligui Nguema, announced in a televised address that they have nullified election results, dissolved state institutions, and closed national borders.
President Ali Bongo, who is 64 years old, was first elected in 2009 after the passing of his father, Omar Bongo Ondimba, who had served as the President of Gabon for over 40 years. Bongo was recently re-elected for a third term, winning by a margin of 64.2% in a general election that faced delays and was marred by opposition claims of electoral fraud.
It’s worth noting that Gabon experienced a failed coup attempt in 2019, where a group of military officers tried to seize power and interrupted a televised speech by President Ali Bongo, who was then in Morocco for medical treatment.
The African Union’s decision sends a strong signal, reinforcing its zero-tolerance policy against unconstitutional changes of government in its member states.
