Morocco’s national air carrier Royal Air Maroc has canceled all flights to and from Libreville as a military coup attempt in Gabon continues escalating.
The airline said it was forced to cancel the flights due to the closure of Gabon’s airspace, noting that customers who have contact details on their booking file will receive notifications confirming the cancellation of their flight.
“We kindly ask customers whose flights have been canceled not to present themselves at the airport and to contact their original point of sale or RAM call center to benefit from the arrangements outlined in the link above,” the airline added.
Royal Air Maroc also called on its customers to check the status of their flights as well as to verify and update their reachable contacts.
Gabon is the latest African country to witness a coup attempt after military officials seized power on Wednesday to unseat President Ali Bongo Ondimba.
Following the coup, some residents have appeared in videos seemingly celebrating the seizure of power, which also saw Bongo placed under house arrest.
The international community has responded to the crisis by sharing concerns, with many countries calling for preserving stability in the African country.
On Wednesday, Morocco – considered one of Gabon’s strongest allies— stressed that it is “closely monitoring” the situation.
Morocco also expressed the importance of preserving the stability of the country as well as the tranquility of its population.
Through a press release from Morocco’s Foreign Ministry, Rabat said that it “trusts the wisdom of the Gabonese nation, its vital forces, and its national institution to move towards a perspective that allows them to act in the best interests of the country.”
The coup came just a day after Bongo was re-elected as president in a disputed election, where he won a third term in the presidential election with over 64% of the vote.
Bongo’s family has been holding power in Gabon for nearly 56 years.
Hours following the rebellion, coup leaders named Brice Oligui Nguema as the country’s transitional president.
