Gen, Brice Oligui Nguema, the new interim president of Gabon, will take the oath of office today (Monday September 4, 2023). The general pledged to erect “more democratic institutions” before “free elections” following a “bloodless” coup.
With the reopening of land, sea, and air borders on Saturday (September 2, 2023) military authorities denoted a return to normalcy.
The military government of Gabon said on state television that it has “decided with immediate effect to reopen the land, sea, and air borders as of this Saturday (September 2, 2023).”
Colonel Ulrich Manfoumbi Manfoumbi said; “In order to ensure continued respect for the rule of law, good relations with our neighbours and with all states around the world, and to promote the continuity of the State while demonstrating our firm determination to honour our international commitments, the Committee for the Transition and Restoration of Institutions (CTRI) has decided to reopen the land, sea and air borders with immediate effect”.
In a statement delivered live on Gabon 24 television channel on Wednesday (August 30, 2023), a group of 12 Gabonese soldiers said that the nation’s borders were locked until further notice.
President Ali Bongo Ondimba, a member of a family that had reigned for 55 years, was overthrown by officers under the command of General Brice Oligui Nguema, commander of the elite Republican Guard.
His removal occurred shortly after Bongo, the weekend’s declared winner of the presidential election, which the opposition called a sham.
The leaders of the coup claimed to have closed the borders, dissolved the government, and annulled the election results.
Mali, Guinea, Sudan, Burkina Faso, and Niger are the other five African nations that have experienced coups in the past three years. Their new leaders have resisted calls for a quick timeline for going back to the barracks. USAfrica wt wire/agency
