The military men have put an end to the decades of leadership of Bongo’s family in Gabon. The Bongos have been in power for at least 53 years leading the oil-rich but impoverished country.
Ali Bongo, a son of former veteran leader Omar Bongo, lost his seat on Wednesday morning when the military men ousted him and suspended the constitution. They also dissolved the parliament.
The member of Bongo’s family won the Saturday’s general elections, which opposition discredit as being a sham. He took over in 2009 when his own father, Omar died in power. It’s not unusual for sons to succeed their father in Africa. Mehmet Idris Deby succeeded his father in Chad when he died while fighting insurgents.
The Committee of Transition and the Restoration of Institutions announced that it has dissolved the parliament, suspended the constitution and removed president Ali Bongo.
The committee while uprooting the Bongo’s family from power said, “In the name of the Gabonese people … we have decided to defend the peace by putting an end to the current regime.”
Gabon is a member of the Organisation of Oil Producing and Exporting Countries (OPEC). But despite its natural resources, Gabon is among the impoverished countries in the world.
The military junta might have been motivated by the July coup in Niger. The Niger Republic president Bazoum was removed just two years to his first tenure as the leader of the West African and Sahel region.
Reuters says that gunshots were heard in and around the Gabonese capital Libreville in the morning. The juntas have shuttered the borders of the country, which is an ally of France. It’s not yet clear if Russia is behind the coup.
A check on the social media shows that the people of Gabon are happy as they are celebrating the oust of Bongo’s family from power in the morning.
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