Gabon’s Army to Reopen Borders Closed After Coup
Gabon’s military rulers, in an announcement on state TV, declared the immediate reopening of the country’s land, sea, and air borders starting from this Saturday.
This decision comes in the wake of a statement made by a group of 12 Gabonese soldiers on Wednesday, who declared the closure of Gabon’s borders until further notice via the Gabon 24 television channel.
The coup, led by General Brice Oligui Nguema, head of the elite Republican Guard, took place on Wednesday, resulting in the removal of President Ali Bongo Ondimba.
Ali Bongo, who hails from a family that had governed Gabon for 55 years, was ousted shortly after being declared the winner in the recent presidential elections, a result that the opposition had denounced as fraudulent.
The leaders of the coup announced that they disbanded the country’s institutions, nullified the election outcomes, and shut down the borders. On Monday, General Oligui is set to take the oath as the “transitional president.”