The Central African Economic Community has called on the putschists in Gabon to give in: the generals must restore constitutional order. The new interim president is a cousin of the deposed head of state.
After the coup in Gabon, the Central African Economic Community (ECCAS) called on the new military rulers to restore constitutional order. You condemn the use of force to resolve political conflicts and to come to power, said the confederation. ECCAS wants to hold a special meeting to discuss the situation in the Central African country.
Opposition spoke of electoral fraud
On Wednesday, a few days after the controversial presidential election, the military staged a coup and deposed incumbent Ali Bongo. The generals announced on television that all institutions had been dissolved. At the same time, they declared last weekend’s elections null and void. They had decided to put an end to the current regime in order “to keep the peace in the country,” the military said. The national borders are closed until further notice.
The 64-year-old Bongo was placed under house arrest. Bongo’s family has ruled the resource-rich country for 56 years. Shortly before the coup, the electoral commission declared him the winner with a two-thirds majority. Bongo took over the post from his father Omar in 2009. The opposition spoke of fraud in the course of the election. International journalists were not admitted, and the internet was temporarily blocked. Many of Gabon’s 2.3 million inhabitants live in poverty.
The “new strong man” of Gabon
The generals want Brice Oligui Nguema to become interim president – he is the head of the Presidential Guard. His appointment was announced on television last night. Videos are circulating on the Internet showing military personnel celebrating and cheering Nguema and calling it the “new strongman”. Nguema belongs to the family of the ousted president.
One day after the coup d’état, it was quiet in the capital Libreville today. There are currently no plans to get the 10,000 EU citizens out of the country, said EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell on the sidelines of the informal meeting of EU foreign ministers in Toledo, Spain. The situation in Gabon is fundamentally different from that in Niger, where the military also staged a coup at the end of July. One shouldn’t forget that the coup in Gabon was preceded by elections “full of irregularities”.
Borrell: EU rejects violent seizure of power
At the same time, Borrell declared that the EU condemned the putsch. The confederation rejects any violent takeover of power, he said. He called on everyone involved to exercise restraint. The challenges facing the country must be solved, demanded Borrell.
However, this must be done while respecting the rule of law, constitutional order and democracy. The peace and prosperity of the country depended on this, as did the stability of the region.