General Nguema appointed as transitional president of Gabon after coup

The military junta who took power in Gabon has announced an interim leader to lead the affairs of the central African country. Recall on Wednesday that President Ali Bongo was removed from office despite winning the Saturday election which the opposition described as sham…

Gabon’s coup leaders have announced Brice Oligui Nguema as the country’s interim president after President Ali Bongo was removed from power on Wednesday.

Following a meeting of all military commanders and chiefs of staff, “General Brice Oligui Nguema was unanimously appointed chairman of the Committee for the Transition and Restoration of Institutions, President of the Transition,” the soldiers said in a statement read on national television.

The announcement added that Nguema insisted on the need to “maintain calm and serenity in our beautiful country.”

“As we enter a new era, we will guarantee peace, stability and dignity for our beloved Gabon.”

Gen. Nguema, a cousin of deposed President Ali Bongo, is the former head of the country’s most powerful security organization, the Gabonese Republican Guard, an independent military formation responsible for protecting government officials and structures.

The new interim leader also ordered the restoration of internet services as well as the signals of international radio and television channels in Gabon after they were initially shutdown.

On Saturday, authorities had reportedly ordered an internet shutdown as voting ended in presidential, parliamentary and local elections to avoid the “risk of violence and the spread of disinformation.”

Recall that on Wednesday, a group of top Gabonese army commanders emerged on national television and declared that they had seized power.

The move came shortly after the Gabonese Election Center announced that incumbent President Bongo had been elected for a third term with 64.27% of the vote.

Bongo had ruled for more than a decade.

Gabon is the latest African country to experience a military revolution, following Niger last month and Mali in 2022.