Military officers on Wednesday announced they have seized power in Gabon dissolving all institutions and closing all of the country’s borders.
According to the BBC, the officers said they were annulling the results of Saturday’s election which the opposition had denounced as “fraudulent” in the Central African nation.
There was gunfire in the capital city of Libreville. There has been tension since Saturday’s presidential election where Ali Bongo aimed to continue a 55-year rule of the country by family.
Gabon’s electoral body had announced Bongo as winner of a third term.
Speaking on a TV Wednesday, a group of high-ranking military officers announced the nullification of Gabon’s recent election results, citing lack of credibility.
“In the name of the Gabonese people … we have decided to defend the peace by putting an end to the current regime,” the officers said on the Gabon 24 TV channel.
The officers said they were making the announcement on behalf of a group calling itself the “Committee for the Transition and Restoration of Institutions.”
The officers have cited irresponsible, unpredictable governance that have led to have led to deteriorating social climate in Gabon as the reason for their intervention. They aim to restore peace by ending the current regime.
