Gabon Military Seizes Power In Oil-rich Country
2023-08-31
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1Military officers in oil-producing Gabon said they had seized power on Wednesday and had put President Ali Bongo under house arrest.
2The military seized control minutes after the Central African state's election body announced he had won a third term.
3The officers said they represented the armed forces.
4They said on television that the election results were canceled.
5They also said the borders were closed and state institutions had broken up.
6The military takeover took place after a vote that was set to extend the Bongo family's 50-plus years in power.
7The Gabon officers call themselves The Committee of Transition and the Restoration of Institutions.
8They said the country faced "a severe institutional, political, economic, and social crisis."
9They said the August 26 vote was not credible.
10One of the officers is Brice Oligui Nguema. In a video he appeared to be the military's leader.
11He told French newspaper Le Monde that he and other generals would meet on Wednesday to select someone to head the transitional government.
12Hundreds of people celebrated the military's intervention on the streets of Libreville, the Gabonese capital.
13The officers said they had detained Bongo, who took over in 2009.
14Before that, his father Omar, had ruled Gabon since 1967.
15The officer also said they had arrested the president's son and others for corruption and treason.
16Opponents say the family has done little to share the state's oil and mining wealth with its 2.3 million people.
17Violent unrest broke out after Bongo's disputed 2016 election win.
18There was a failed coup attempt in 2019.
19The 64-year-old Bongo was last seen in public voting on Saturday.
20France, Gabon's former colonial ruler, condemned the takeover.
21France has troops in the country.
22"We condemn the military coup and recall our commitment to free and transparent elections," French government spokesman Olivier Veran said.
23The coup creates more uncertainty for France's presence in the area.
24France has about 350 troops in Gabon.
25Its forces have been kicked out of Mali and Burkina Faso after coups there in the last two years.
26The African Union's Peace and Security Council chair called for a meeting on the situation with Burundi, Senegal and Cameroon.
27China called for a peaceful resolution and Russia said it hoped for a quick return to stability.
28Rukmini Sanya is an expert at the Economist Intelligence Unit.
29He said, "Mr. Bongo is not expected to be able to suppress the uprising."
30He said there was "widespread public discontent" against Bongo, his family and his ruling party.
31Gabon produces about 200,000 barrels of oil a day.
32International companies include France's TotalEnergies and Anglo-French producer Perenco.
33French miner Eramet said it had halted operations in Gabon.
34There were concerns about transparency regarding Saturday's vote.
35During the election, there was a lack of international observers and some foreign broadcasts were suspended.
36The government also cut internet service and put in place a nighttime curfew.
37On Wednesday, internet access appeared to be in place for the first time since the election.
38Shortly before the coup, the election body had declared Bongo the election winner with 64.3 percent of the vote.
39His main opponent, Albert Ondo Ossa, received 30.8 percent of the vote.
40I'm Dan Novak.
1Military officers in oil-producing Gabon said they had seized power on Wednesday and had put President Ali Bongo under house arrest. The military seized control minutes after the Central African state's election body announced he had won a third term. 2The officers said they represented the armed forces. They said on television that the election results were canceled. They also said the borders were closed and state institutions had broken up. The military takeover took place after a vote that was set to extend the Bongo family's 50-plus years in power. 3The Gabon officers call themselves The Committee of Transition and the Restoration of Institutions. They said the country faced "a severe institutional, political, economic, and social crisis." They said the August 26 vote was not credible. 4One of the officers is Brice Oligui Nguema. In a video he appeared to be the military's leader. He told French newspaper Le Monde that he and other generals would meet on Wednesday to select someone to head the transitional government. 5Hundreds of people celebrated the military's intervention on the streets of Libreville, the Gabonese capital. 6The officers said they had detained Bongo, who took over in 2009. Before that, his father Omar, had ruled Gabon since 1967. The officer also said they had arrested the president's son and others for corruption and treason. 7Opponents say the family has done little to share the state's oil and mining wealth with its 2.3 million people. Violent unrest broke out after Bongo's disputed 2016 election win. There was a failed coup attempt in 2019. 8The 64-year-old Bongo was last seen in public voting on Saturday. 9French Condemnation 10France, Gabon's former colonial ruler, condemned the takeover. France has troops in the country. 11"We condemn the military coup and recall our commitment to free and transparent elections," French government spokesman Olivier Veran said. 12The coup creates more uncertainty for France's presence in the area. France has about 350 troops in Gabon. Its forces have been kicked out of Mali and Burkina Faso after coups there in the last two years. 13The African Union's Peace and Security Council chair called for a meeting on the situation with Burundi, Senegal and Cameroon. China called for a peaceful resolution and Russia said it hoped for a quick return to stability. 14Rukmini Sanya is an expert at the Economist Intelligence Unit. He said, "Mr. Bongo is not expected to be able to suppress the uprising." He said there was "widespread public discontent" against Bongo, his family and his ruling party. 15Gabon produces about 200,000 barrels of oil a day. International companies include France's TotalEnergies and Anglo-French producer Perenco. French miner Eramet said it had halted operations in Gabon. 16There were concerns about transparency regarding Saturday's vote. During the election, there was a lack of international observers and some foreign broadcasts were suspended. The government also cut internet service and put in place a nighttime curfew. On Wednesday, internet access appeared to be in place for the first time since the election. 17Shortly before the coup, the election body had declared Bongo the election winner with 64.3 percent of the vote. His main opponent, Albert Ondo Ossa, received 30.8 percent of the vote. 18I'm Dan Novak. 19Dan Novak adapted this story for VOA Learning English based on reporting by Reuters. 20_________________________________________________ 21Words in This Story 22institution - n. an established organization 23transition - n. a change from one state or condition to another 24credible - adj. able to be believed 25coup - adj. a sudden attempt by a small group of people to take over the government usually through violence 26transparent - adj. honest and open 27stability - n. the quality or state of something that is not easily changed or likely to change