The President of the African Union Commission “strongly condemns the attempted coup d’état” in Gabon, denouncing “a blatant violation” of the principles of the continental organization, in a statement released on Wednesday.
Moussa Faki Mahamat “calls on the national army and security forces to strictly adhere to their republican role, to ensure the physical integrity of the President of the Republic (Ali Bongo Ondimba), members of his family, as well as those of his government.”
Putschist soldiers announced on Wednesday that they had “put an end to the regime in place” in Gabon and placed President Ali Bongo Ondimba, who has been in power for 14 years, under house arrest, shortly after the official announcement of his victory in the presidential election held on Saturday.
“Moussa Faki is following with great concern the situation in the Gabonese Republic and strongly condemns the attempted coup d’état in the country as a way to solve its current post-electoral crisis,” according to the AU statement. “He strongly emphasizes that this constitutes a blatant violation of the legal and political instruments of the African Union, including the African Charter on Elections, Democracy and Governance.”
Until this coup d’état, Gabon, a Central African country rich in oil, had been ruled by the Bongo family for over 55 years. International reactions to this new coup d’état in a French-speaking African country were not long in coming.
China called for “ensuring the security of Ali Bongo,” while France, the former colonial power, “condemned the ongoing military coup.” Russia expressed its “deep concern,” as did the Commonwealth, an organization that Gabon joined last year.
