Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Tuesday that they’ve made a decision and shared it in a statement.
The United States is stopping some help they give to Gabon’s government after the recent takeover by the military. Secretary of State Antony Blinken mentioned this in a statement on Tuesday. He said they’ll keep this pause going while they look into the military’s action, which they see as not following the rules. Blinken also noted that this decision matches what other groups like the Economic Community of Central African States and the African Union are doing.
The United States will still carry on with important activities in Gabon, like helping their citizens and doing diplomatic work.
In Gabon, military leaders took control on August 30. They cancelled an election right after President Ali Bongo was declared the winner, claiming it wasn’t trustworthy. Bongo had been in charge since 2009.
The new military government has promised to make sure the next elections are fair, but they haven’t said exactly when they’ll happen.
The Prime Minister chosen by the military, Raymond Ndong Sima, suggested that having about two years before elections in Gabon would be reasonable after last month’s takeover.
For a long time, the Bongo family’s control over Gabon, a country rich in oil, made many people unhappy. Critics argued that the Bongos didn’t do enough to share the country’s wealth with its 2.3 million citizens.
The coup was met with celebrations in the capital, Libreville. The military government acted quickly to strengthen their control, making General Brice Oligui Nguema, who is a cousin to Bongo and leads an elite group, the temporary president.
SOURCE:ALJAZEERA