Gabon’s opposition leader accused the family of the recently ousted president of engineering his removal from power in order to retain their control in the oil-rich Central African nation.
Speaking to French media outlet TV5 Monde Thursday, Albert Ondo Ossa said the junta who ousted Gabon’s president on Wednesday did not engage in a coup but rather a “palace revolution” in order to continue their family’s reign.
Soldiers toppled President Ali Bongo Ondimba and put him under house arrest, accusing him of irresponsible governance that risked leading the country into chaos.
They then put Bongo’s cousin Gen. Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema, head of the elite republican guard, in charge. He is expected to be sworn into office on Monday September 4 before the constitutional court.
Ossa lost the presidential election in August to Bongo by more than 30 percentage points. The vote was widely criticized by locals and the international community for irregularities and a lack of transparency.
Related Greece: Firefighters rescue 25 migrants trapped in forest as massive wildfire approached After nearly 30 years, Pennsylvania will end state funding for anti-abortion counseling centers The Congolese military is accused of a deadly crackdown on a religious sect, killing at least 43
“The Bongos have decided to put Ali Bongo aside and continue their system," said Ossa in his interview with TV5 Monde. “The Gabonese people took to the streets at night to celebrate the departure of Bongo, but I’m saying that it’s not the Bongo family that departed. A Bongo took over from a Bongo,” he said.
On Thursday Ossa's chief of staff, Mike Jocktane, called for a recount of the votes under the supervision of the armed forces, so that Ossa could assume the presidency.
Gabon’s coup is the eight military takeover in Central and West Africa in three years and comes roughly a month after Niger’s democratically elected president was ousted. Unlike Niger and neighboring Burkina Faso and Mali, which have each had two coups apiece since 2020 and are being overrun by extremist violence, Gabon was seen as relatively stable.
However, Bongo’s family has been accused of endemic corruption and not letting the country’s oil wealth trickle down to the population of some 2 million people.
Bongo, 64, has served two terms since coming to power in 2009 after the death of his father, who ruled the country for 41 years, and there has been widespread discontent with his reign. Another group of mutinous soldiers attempted a coup in 2019 but was quickly overpowered.
The Bongo dynasty and those associated with it through family ties have permeated state institutions and key economic activities and it will be extremely difficult to undercut their influence, said Maja Bovcon, senior Africa analyst at risk intelligence company Verisk Maplecroft.
“It is a question of whether the coup indeed ended the Bongo family rule or if we are simply witnessing another power struggle between different factions within the family,” she said.
Bongo hasn't been heard from since a video message circulated hours after he was ousted Wednesday. In the video, he said he was being held in his residence in the capital, Libreville. He appealed to the international community and Gabonese citizens to “make noise”.
Mark Pursey, the chief executive officer of BTP Advisers, a communications firm that helped the president with polling before the elections, said after the video came out people's phones in the residence where Bongo was being held were taken and he hasn't been able to communicate.
Related Rifle slaying of a brown bear in Italy leaves 2 cubs motherless and is decried by locals, minister US House Foreign Affairs Committee chair calls Russia-China alliance the biggest threat since WWII Spain's men's coach asks for forgiveness for applauding Rubiales' diatribe against 'false feminists'
Pursey called allegations that the Bongos were behind the coup “nonsense".
“It’s a ridiculous thing to say. Does anyone really believe that the President Bongo would organize a coup against himself? I think Ossa in a few short sentences has demonstrated why he was not fit to hold the office of president himself,” he said.
More about AP Gabon Dakar Niger Senegal French President West Africa Burkina Faso Mali Africa
1/ 1Gabon's opposition candidate alleges the ousted president's family is behind a plot to retain power
Gabon's opposition candidate alleges the ousted president's family is behind a plot to retain power Gabon Coup
Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
CCPA Notice Promoted stories
Gundry MD
Heart Surgeon Begs Americans: “Stop Doing This To Your Blueberries"Dr. Gundry has released an informative free video showcasing exactly which foods you may need to avoid.Gundry MD| Sponsored Sponsored
Learn More
Undo
Electric Car Deals
Completely New Electric Cars for Seniors - The Prices Might Surprise YouElectric Car Deals| Sponsored Sponsored
Undo
Libiyi
Why Your Firewood Needs This Drill Bit?This revolutionary design takes the labor out of the 'manual labor' normally required to chop through thick wood. Plus, it's safer, easier, and faster!Libiyi| Sponsored Sponsored
Learn More
Undo
？ Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Subscribe
Already subscribed? Log in