Coup in Gabon ends 56 years of family rule

Sandeep Dikshit

New Delhi, August 30

Military officers in oil producing Gabon have announced seizure of power after overthrowing the paralysed President, Ali Bongo Ondimba. Bongo is under house arrest.

The junta has named General Brice Oligui Nguema as the transition leader.

Gabon is the seventh former French colony in Africa where a coup has taken place in the span of just over two years. The other commonalities were that these countries were nominal democracies but tolerated by the West and hosted contingents of mostly French troops, who were purportedly battling insurgency as well as guarding mining and oil exploration interests of largely French conglomerates.

Gabon’s Republican Guard overthrew the Bongo family which has ruled the country since 1967. Former President Omar Bongo, who had 70 bank accounts, 39 apartments, 2 Ferraris, 6 Mercedes Benz cars, 3 Porsches and a Bugatti in France, ruled for 42 years, followed by his son Ali who was in power for 14 years. His son once imported snow so that his family could celebrate a white Christmas in Gabon.

The coup occurred on the day Ali was declared elected for another term. France, whose companies are heavily invested in Gabon, called for the elections to be respected.

The last coup took place in Niger last month where French and US troops guard uranium mines as well as allegedly fight jihadist militias. As in Niger, several hundreds took to the streets of Gabon’s capital Libreville to celebrate the coup.

Seventh former French colony to ‘fall’

• Gabon is the seventh former French colony in Africa where a coup has taken place in a span of just over two years.
• The coup occurred on a day Ali was declared elected for another term. France called for the elections to be respected.