Gabon reopens borders three days after Military coup
Africa
By
VOA
| Sep 03, 2023
Gabon reopened its borders on Saturday, an army spokesman said, three days after closing them during a military coup in which President Ali Bongo was ousted.
Military officers led by General Brice Oligui Nguema seized power Wednesday, placed Bongo under house arrest and installed Nguema as head of state, ending the Bongo family's 56-year hold on power.
The coup - the ninth in the continent in three years - has raised concerns about a contagion of military takeovers across the region that have erased democratic progress made in the last two decades.
Coup leaders have come under international pressure to restore civilian government but said Friday night that they would not rush to hold elections.
The land, sea and air borders were opened because the junta was "concerned with preserving respect for the rule of law, good relations with our neighbors and all states of the world" and wanted to keep its "international commitments," the army spokesman said on national television.
READ MORE
US slaps sanctions on Rwanda military over DR Congo 'violation'
DR Congo, M23 fighters trade accusations over ceasefire
Angola proposes new DR Congo ceasefire
South Africa to withdraw troops from UN mission in DR Congo
Kipyegon among super-fast stars invited for Sirikwa Classic XC tour
Deadly landslide strikes M23 held mining site in DRC
DR Congo city residents forced to adapt during year of M23 rule
South Korean ex-PM Han gets 23 years jail for martial law role
Uhuru warns against fragmented peace talks for eastern DRC
In east DR Congo, minors face systematic risk of sexual violence
Bongo was elected in 2009, taking over from his late father, Omar, who came to power in 1967. Opponents say the family did little to share Gabon's oil and mining wealth.
The takeover in Gabon follows coups in Guinea, Chad and Niger, plus two each in Mali and Burkina Faso since 2020, worrying international powers with strategic interests at stake.