One week after overthrowing the government of Ali Bongo in Gabon, the Military Junta led by General Brice Oligui Nguema has freed the deposed president from house arrest.
Bloomberg reports that Ali Bongo is free to seek medical treatment abroad if he wishes.
It was also reported that Ali Bongo was seen on television having a meeting with United Nations special envoy Abdou Abary. This was the first time he had been seen since he issued an appeal hours after being placed under house arrest in a video message urging his supporters to “make noise”.
What you should know
On August 30, shortly after Gabon’s election commission declared President Ali Bongo’s victory for a third term, a faction of Gabonese military officers from the elite presidential guard took control, detaining the president at his palace.
Within the same day, these officers appointed General Brice Oligui Nguema as the head of the transitional government bringing an end to nearly 60 years of dictatorship of the Bongo family.
Following the bloodless coup, the Leader of the Junta, General Brice Oligui Nguema, was also bee sworn in as the Interim President as he promised a return to democracy for the Gabonese.
AU’s Response
In the aftermath of the military coup, The African Union (AU) suspended its membership in Gabon. This was the first response from the bloc to the eighth coup that has occurred in West and Central Africa since 2020.
The military takeover of President’s Bongo rule was strongly condemned by the African Union, hence the reason why the Central African country participated in all activities of the AU and its institutions until democracy was restored.
Gabon joins Niger Republic, Burkina Faso, Mali, Guinea, and Sudan as countries that have been suspended by the AU.
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