Resurgence of coup in Africa

UN, AU, ECOWAS kick as Gabon join league of African countries forcefully taken over by military juntas


Few weeks after a military putsch in Niger Republic, the military again, struck on Wednesday, August 30 in Gabon, another African country. Although the military coups have been denounced by world democracies and regional blocs, the affected peoples of both Niger and Gabon welcomed it and celebrated the coupists for coming to the aid of the common man.

In Gabon, the coup announcement came just moments after the national election authority declared Bongo had won a third term in Saturday’s election with 64.27 percent of the vote. Gabon’s main opposition, led by university professor Albert Ondo Ossa, had accused Bongo of “fraud”, and demanded that he hand over power “without bloodshed”. Gabon’s 2016 elections were marked by deadly violence after Bongo edged out rival Jean Ping by just 5,500 votes, according to the official tally.

In 2018, Bongo suffered a stroke that side-lined him for 10 months and fuelled accusations that he was medically unfit to hold office. The United Nations (UN), African Union (AU) and Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) have condemned Wednesday’s early morning military coup that ousted President Alli Bongo in Republic of Gabon. The people of Gabon rose Wednesday, August 30, 2023, morning to listen to a nationwide broadcast by the military announcing the sacking of Alli Bongo and takeover of the government, following a disputed presidential election in the oil rich Central African country.

The Gabon coup brings to eight the number of military coups and change of government in Africa, with West Africa leading with coup de’tats in Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger, as well as in Guinea Bissau. The military also cancelled the election, which the electoral body declared the ousted president re-elected for another term.

Reacting to the development, the United Nations in a statement said “UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres firmly condemns the ongoing coup attempt” and reaffirms “his strong opposition to military coups”, according to his spokesman, Stephane Dujarric. Rejecting the coup, the head of the African Union Commission, Moussa Faki Mahamat, said on Wednesday he “strongly condemns” what he described as an attempted coup in Gabon. This was even as the chairman of ECOWAS authority, President Bola Tinubu of Nigeria has similarly condemned the forceful change of power by the military in the country.

Meanwhile the new military junta in Gabon has announced head of the country’s republican guard, Brice Oligui Nguema as head of the new transitional government This is just as President Ali Bongo had “been placed in retirement”. The head of his presidential guard told Le Monde newspaper about the ‘retirement’ on Wednesday after rebel officers said they had toppled him. “He has been placed in retirement. He has all his rights. He’s an ordinary Gabonese person, like everyone,” Brice Oligui Nguema said.

Recall that Ali Bongo, 64, has retained a dynasty rule in Gabon, having taken over the reins of power in the oil rich country, after the death of his father, Omar Bongo in 2009. The Bongo family has ruled Gabon for over 53 years. A statement published on the AU website in French, said: “(Faki) is following with great concern the situation in the Gabonese Republic and strongly condemns the attempted coup d’etat in the country as a way of resolving its current post-electoral crisis.” He “calls on the national army and security forces to adhere strictly to their republican vocation, to guarantee the physical integrity of the president of the republic, members of his family as well as those of his government”.

The AU commission chief also described Wednesday’s events as a “flagrant violation” of the legal and political instruments of the Addis Ababa-headquartered African Union. “(Faki) encourages all political, civil and military actors in Gabon to favour peaceful political paths leading to the rapid return to democratic constitutional order in the country,” it added.

Joining in rejecting the military coup, President Bola Tinubu advocated for a comprehensive consensus against the spread of “contagious autocracy” across Africa. The Nigerian president who expressed he’s committed to working with other heads of state to defend democracy on the continent, stated this in his first response to the early morning Wednesday coup in Gabon, according to a statement by the Presidential spokesperson, Ajuri Ngelale.

The president’s position was contained in a statement issued Wednesday by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Ajuri Ngelale. The statement reads: “President Bola Tinubu is watching closely with deep concern for the country’s social-political stability and at the seeming autocratic contention apparently spreading across different regions of our beloved continent. “The President as a man who has made significant, personal sacrifices in his own life in the course of advancing and defending democracy is of the unwavering belief that power belongs in the hands of Africa’s great people and not in the barrel of a loaded gun.

“The President affirms that the rule of law and a faithful recourse to the constitutional resolutions and instruments of electoral dispute resolution must not at any time be allowed to perish from our great continent. “To this end, the President is working very closely and continues to communicate with other Heads of State in the African Union towards a comprehensive consensus on the next steps forward with respect to how the power in Gabon will play out and how the continent will respond to contagious autocracy we have seen spread across our continent.

“President Tinubu is leading ECOWAS efforts to reverse the coup in neighbouring Niger and has been reluctant to authorise the use of force as approved by the ECOWAS heads of government to restore constitutional order in Niger. The leaders of the coup in Gabon on Wednesday named Republican Guard Chief, General Brice Oligui Nguema transitional president, according to a TV statement, after the military seized control in the wake of elections. “General Oligui Nguema Brice was unanimously appointed chairman of the Committee for the Transition and Restoration of Institutions, chairman of the transition,” declared an officer in the presence of dozens of senior officers, according to the press release read out on Gabon 24.”

Meanwhile, despite the widespread condemnation of the military takeover, there was widespread jubilation in the cities of Gabon, signalling acceptance of the change of guard. On the streets of the capital, and the economic hub Port-Gentil, groups of joyous people were seen celebrating. In Libreville, around 100 people shouted “Bongo out!” and applauded police in anti-riot gear, an AFP staff member said.

Declaring the change of government in the early hours of Wednesday during an address to the nation, a group of officers declared “all the institutions of the republic” had been dissolved, the election results cancelled and the borders closed. “Today, the country is going through a serious institutional, political, economic and social crisis. “The elections did not meet the conditions for a transparent, credible and inclusive ballot so much hoped for by the people of Gabon “Added to this is irresponsible and unpredictable governance, resulting in a continuing deterioration in social cohesion, with the risk of leading the country in chaos.” “We — the Committee for the Transition and Restoration of Institutions (CTRI) on behalf of the people of Gabon and as guarantors of the institutions’ protection — have decided to defend peace by putting an end to the current regime,” it said.

Bongo was first elected in 2009 following the death of his father Omar, who had ruled the country for 41 years, reputedly amassing a fortune. The developments in Niger and Gabon have provoked discussions on the performance of African leaders and the ingredients that give rise to coup d’etats. So many opinions have been given ranging from resistance of neo-colonialism to bad governance, corruption, looting and naked abuse of power.

In Nigeria, the presidential candidate of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP), in the February 25 elections, Atiku Abubakar, has urged African leaders to focus on the cause of the recent spike in military coups across the continent, rather than its effects. He advised that leaders should focus on the disease that births coups. The former Vice President joined other world leaders to condemn the coup in Gabon. Reacting to the development, Atiku said: “The coup in Gabon stands condemned. Democracy and democratic governance have come to stay as a preferred form of government, and everything should be done to enthrone, nurture, and sustain it.

“As I suggested in the case of the Niger Republic, the ECOWAS and African Union authorities should open a window of diplomatic engagement that will pave the way for the soldiers to return to the barracks. “The latest coup brings the number of military takeovers in Central and West Africa to 8 since 2020. This is worrisome and calls for introspection. We may have to focus on dealing with the disease and not the symptoms that birth coups.” Many believe that the advice from the former vice president of Nigeria is apt and should be taken seriously.