The head of the transitional state in Gabon, General Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema, had telephone conversations with the French ambassador and leaders of several Central African states prior to the coup. As reported by Le Monde, citing a source, Mr. Nguema was not opposed to the presence of the French in the republic.
According to information from the newspaper, Mr. Nguema tried to explain his intentions to his interlocutors. “He is a balanced and discreet man. He told me that the army no longer wanted to be used to kill Gabonese people after every election. His coup is not in the same logic as those in the Sahel. There is no intention on his part to ask the French to leave,” noted the source.
Another source in the journal believes that the aim of the coup was to prevent a wave of protests against the ousted president, Ali Bongo Ondimba. “If people had taken to the streets, General Oligui Nguema and all the regime’s leaders would have had to leave,” explained a source in the report.
Another source characterizes the coup as a “palace coup.” According to this source, Mr. Nguema had been in conflict with the president’s wife, Sylvia, and their son for several months. The source claims that family members were attempting to consolidate their influence after Mr. Ondimba’s stroke. Mr. Ondimba had begun his third presidential term with the sole purpose of preparing a successor represented by his son.
A group of senior Gabonese military officials announced earlier on national television that they had taken power. The rebels include representatives from the Republican Guard led by Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema, the security service, the army, and the police. The coup plotters nullified the results of the August 26th elections, won by Gabonese President Ali Bongo Ondimba, who was seeking a third term. The current head of state and representatives of his administration have been placed under arrest.
Peaceful Resolution of the Crisis in Gabon The European Union is considering establishing diplomatic contacts with the Gabonese coup plotters and does not envisage a forceful solution, unlike in Niger where a potential military operation is possible. This was stated by the EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs, Josep Borrell, during a press conference after an informal meeting of EU foreign ministers in Toledo, Spain.
“The situation in Gabon is absolutely different from Niger, and therefore we want to act in a peaceful, diplomatic way to find a means to address the aspirations of the Gabonese people,” he said. According to him, the Toledo meeting specifically addressed a potential military operation by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) in Niger.
