We’ve also had a comment on today’s events from China – which says it is closely following the developing situation in Gabon army officers have seized power from President Ali Bongo.
During a press conference, a foreign ministry spokesman urged all sides to commit to dialogue in order to “restore normal order as soon as possible”.
Wang Wenbin also called for the personal safety of President Bongo to be guaranteed.
France following events closely in former colony
France – the former colonial power in Gabon – is following events “with the greatest attention”, says Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne.
If the overthrow of President Ali Bongo is confirmed, Gabon would be the latest French-speaking nation in West African nation to experience a coup – following Mali, Burkina Faso, Guinea and most recently Niger.
French influence in the region has been undermined by the recent unrest, the AFP news agency reports.
Soldiers tell celebrating crowds to go home
Shortly after army officers appeared on national television to say they had taken power, large crowds of people went on to the Boulevard Triomphal Omar Bongo, the main street of Gabon’s capital, Libreville – according to a local journalist who spoke to BBC Afrique.
They were waving green, yellow and blue Gabonese flags to celebrate the military takeover.
Although they were initially mingling with soldiers and thanking them, the military then asked them to return home and move away from strategic areas.
Who is Gabon’s President Ali Bongo?
Here’s a look at the man at the centre of this story – President Bongo.
- Born Alain Bernard Bongo in neighbouring Congo-Brazzaville in February 1959
- A one-time funk singer who stepped into his father’s shoes to continue his family’s 50-year rule
- He is seen by some as a spoilt, playboy prince who sees ruling the oil-rich country as his birthright
- Others view him as a reformer who has tried to diversify the economy, and who was voted into power democratically by the masses
- Throughout his entire time in office, President Bongo’s legitimacy has been questioned by his opponents – with allegations of fraud following his 2016 election win
- He faced calls to step down in following a period of ill health in 2018, which resulted in a failed coup