A group of army officers in Gabon have announced that they had taken over power in the West African country.
POLITICS NIGERIA reports that the officers, who introduced themselves as members of the Committee of Transition and Restoration of Institutions (CTRI), said they were annulling the results of Saturday’s election, in which President Ali Bongo was declared the winner.
The CTRI said that Bongo’s victory was “illegitimate” and that the election had been marred by “electoral irregularities.”
The officers also said that they were dissolving “all the institutions of the republic” and that they would be forming a new government.
Bongo’s overthrow would end his family’s 53-year hold on power in Gabon. His father, Omar Bongo, ruled the country for 42 years before his death in 2009. Ali Bongo was elected president in 2009 and again in 2016.
The CTRI’s announcement came after days of protests against Bongo’s re-election. The protests were sparked by allegations of electoral fraud.
The CTRI’s coup is the latest in a series of political upheavals in West Africa. Recently, the military has taken over leadership in Niger, leading to condemnation from many, including the regional bloc Economic Community of West African States.
