UPDATE: GABON COUP LEADER, BRICE NGUEMA SWORN IN AS INTERIM PRESIDENT
Read Time:2 Minute, 51 Second
By Aishat Momoh. O.
Taking the oath of office as temporary president on Monday, General Brice Oligui Nguema, who overthrew Gabon’s 55-year-old dynasty last week in a coup, pledged to organize “free… and transparent elections” at a later date.
President Ali Bongo Ondimba, a member of a dynasty that has ruled since 1967, was overthrown on Wednesday by officers under the command of Oligui, the head of the elite Republican Guard.
Moments after Bongo, 64, was declared the winner of last month’s presidential election, which the opposition dubbed a fraud, he was ousted.
“I swear before God and the Gabonese people to faithfully preserve the republican regime,” said Oligui.
In front of judges from the Constitutional Court, Oligui took the oath to “preserve the achievements of democracy” while donning the crimson ceremonial uniform of the Republican Guard.
In an initial speech, he promised to amnesty “prisoners of conscience” and host “free… (and) transparent elections” during an unspecified transition period.
On Wednesday, the coup leaders said they had overthrown the government, annulled the election results, and temporarily shut down the borders.
Other nations do not recognize Oligui as the legitimate head of state of Gabon, and he is under pressure to outline his strategies for restoring civilian authority.
Oligui was lifted up triumphantly by his troops following the announcement of the coup, and in the days since has been seen flanked by generals and colonels.
He has also held hours of high-profile discussions with business and religious leaders, unions, political parties, NGOs, diplomats, and journalists, and has been taking notes and responding at length to questions and grievances.
On Friday, he vowed to create more democratic institutions that respect human rights, but said he would proceed “without haste”.
A fringe of the former opposition is urging Oligui to hand over power, but many people in Gabon seem happy about the overthrow of the Bongo dynasty, with celebrations in the streets of the capital Libreville and the economic hub of Port-Gentil.
Several Western countries and organizations have condemned the coup while acknowledging that it is different to others on the continent due to concerns over the credibility of the vote itself.
“Naturally, military coups are not the solution, but we must not forget that in Gabon there had been elections full of irregularities,” said the European Union’s foreign policy chief Josep Borrell.
‘Make Noise’
Former president Bongo had been seeking his third term in office after coming to power in 2009 following the death of his father Omar, who ruled Gabon with an iron fist for over 40 years.
The coup leaders said they had put him under house arrest and placed him “in retirement”.
But Bongo managed to distribute a video on social media where he said his son and wife Sylvia had been detained, appealing to “all friends that we have all over the world… to make noise” on his behalf.
National TV on Friday showed rolling images of the deposed president’s son Noureddin Bongo Valentin and other arrested officials in front of suitcases filled with cash allegedly seized from their homes.
The military has accused them of treason, embezzlement, corruption and falsifying the president’s signature, among other allegations.
Five other countries in Africa — Mali, Guinea, Sudan, Burkina Faso and Niger — have undergone coups in the last three years. Their new rulers have resisted demands for a short timetable for returning to barracks.
AFP
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