Again the military has seized power in an African country. But in Gabon, the population is celebrating the coup as a liberation from an autocrat who has lacked support for many years.
Hundreds of people celebrate in the streets of the capital Libreville. They sing and wave the national flag. “Long live Gabon,” shout some of them. The rule of the Bongo family is over.
On Wednesday, a group of military and other security forces announced that they had taken power in the Central African country. Former President Ali Bongo has been placed under house arrest. “August 30 is now our Independence Day,” says a young man in the crowd. “The army liberated our country.”
“Going Through Serious Crisis”
Twelve men, most in uniform, had appeared on state television. Her spokesman described the weekend’s presidential election, which, according to the official result, had once again won Ali Bongo as a falsification.
The country needs a fresh start, said the putschists’ spokesman. “Our beautiful country, Gabon, has always been a peaceful haven. But today we are going through a serious political, economic and social crisis.”
Change after more than 55 years
The Bongo clan ruled for a total of more than 55 years. Ali Bongo succeeded his father. The export of gas, oil and other natural resources made the family rich. Large parts of the population, on the other hand, lived in poverty. The youth in Gabon in particular had therefore called for a change before the elections.
The new president is now apparently to be the previous head of the Republican Guard, Brice Oligui Nguema – according to reports a cousin of Ali Bongo. Military and security forces carried him through the streets of Libreville and cheered him on.
The supremacy of the Bongo family seems broken
The former colonial power France condemned the coup. She had once helped Ali Bongo’s father into office and held her hand protectively over the family for a long time. In recent years there have been coups in other former French colonies, most recently in Niger.
But the putschists’ agenda is different, says political analyst and Africa expert Wilson Khembo. “I think the coup in Gabon is different from the others,” he says. “In the other countries, the military was driven by a hunger for power. But in Gabon, the putschists apparently want to reinstate constitutional rights. They feared that Gabon was moving too far away from democracy.”
Many had long referred to the country as a secret dynasty. Now that long dominance of the Bongo family seems to have been broken.