A group of military officers in Gabon announced on Wednesday they had seized power in the African nation, according to a televised address circulating on social media.
The announcement came minutes after Gabon’s election body announced incumbent President Ali Bongo had won a third term, extending his family’s half-century rule over the oil-rich Central African country of 2.3 million.
If successful, the coup would represent the 10th in west and central Africa since 2017.
Niger’s military took over the government in July, sending shockwaves through the region and drawing in countries with strategic interests in the region.
PUNCH highlights a timeline of coups in Africa in recent years.
- 2019 Sudanese coup d’état: On April 11, 2019, late in the afternoon, following mass demonstrations calling for his ouster, President Omar al-Bashir was deposed by the Sudanese Armed Forces. At that time, the army under the command of Ahmed Awad Ibn Auf overthrew the…