As a group of officers and soldiers trouble the political destiny of President Ali Bongo of Gabon, he has urged the people to help make noise to save the situation.

The group seized power on Wednesday and have kept him under arrest.

Hours after the coup,  Bongo issued a plea to the public from where he is being held under house arrest.

Bongo called on the people of Gabon to “make noise,” saying in a brief video he had been illegally detained at his residence.

Bongo was accused of high treason, the group of high-ranking officers said.

The group added that other government officials as well as Bongo’s son, Nouredine Bongo, had been arrested.

Earlier, the military leaders in Gabon announced they seized power, days after the central African nation’s presidential election which confirmed President Ali Bongo Ondimba’s third term.

The election results had been falsified, a group of officers said.

State institutions had been dissolved with immediate effect, the election results annulled and the country’s borders closed, said the group, which called itself the Committee for Transition and Restoration of Institutions (CTRI).

The CTRI had decided to “put an end to the current regime.”

The announcement came a few hours after the electoral authority declared Bongo the winner of the election with 64.27 per cent of the vote.

There is sad news for Africa’s democracy as two elected presidents are currently under draconian arrests by the military.

Weeks after soldiers in Niger Republic  snatched power and arrested President Mohamed Bazoum, their counterparts in Gabon have also seized government machinery.

They have now announced that Bongo is under arrest, adding that they had slammed treason charges against one of his children.

“President Ali Bongo is under house arrest, surrounded by his family and doctors,” they said in a statement read out on state TV.

GARBON:

Official name: Gabonese Republic
Population: 2,284,912
Area: 267,667 sq km
Capital city: Libreville
Major languages: French, Fang, Myene, Nzebi, Bapounou/Eschira, Bandjabi
Major religions: Roman Catholic 42.3%, Protestant 12.3%, other Christian 27.4%, Muslim 9.8%
Time zone: UTC+1 (West Africa Time)
– Source: CIA World Fact Book

Soldiers who snatched power in Gabon have started promising the people great things.

They said they seized power to bring peace and prosperity, saying, “People of Gabon, we are finally on the road to happiness.”

According to the group of officers and soldiers who appeared on television Wednesday announcing they were “putting an end to the regime”, they have cancelled the results of a recent election.

A translation from French of the statement, by AFP, reads:

“Our beautiful country, Gabon, has always been a haven of peace.

“Today, the country is going through a serious institutional, political, economic and social crisis.

“Added to this is irresponsible and unpredictable governance, resulting in a continuing deterioration in social cohesion, with the risk of leading the country into chaos.

“Today, 30 August 2023, we — the defence and security forces, gathered as the Committee for the Transition and Restoration of Institutions (CTRI) on behalf of the people of Gabon and as guarantors of the institutions’ protection — have decided to defend peace by putting an end to the current regime.

“The borders are closed until further notice.

“All the institutions of the Republic are dissolved: the government, the Senate, the National Assembly, the Constitutional Court, the Economic, Social and Environmental Council and the Gabonese Elections Centre.

“We call for calm and serenity from the public, the communities of sister countries settled in Gabon, and the Gabonese diaspora.

“We reaffirm our commitment to respecting Gabon’s commitments to the national and international community.

“People of Gabon, we are finally on the road to happiness.

“May God and the spirits of our ancestors bless Gabon. Honour and loyalty to our homeland.