A group of senior military officers in Gabon seized power in the early hours of Wednesday, shortly after the country's election body announced President Ali Bongo had won a third term. The United States, the UK, France and others condemned what appeared to be the eighth military coup in west and central Africa since 2020. The junta said a night-time curfew had been extended until further notice. Read FRANCE 24’s liveblog to see how developments unfolded. All times are Paris time (GMT+2).
- A group of senior Gabonese military officers appeared on the Gabon 24 TV station early Wednesday and announced the cancellation of the August 26 presidential election, the “end of the regime” and the dissolution of “all institutions of the Republic”.
- The statement came shortly after the results of the presidential election were declared, giving President Ali Bongo 64.2% of the vote and a third term in office.
- Hours later, President Ali Bongo appeared in a video and called on his "friends" to "make noise". Bongo said he was under house arrest at his residence and that his wife and son were being held separately.
- On Wednesday evening the military officers declared General Brice Oligui Nguema the country’s transitional leader in a statement broadcast on Gabon 24.
- A night-time curfew imposed after the August 26 election has been extended until further notice.
- French media channels FRANCE 24, RFI and TV5 Monde, which were suspended during the election period, will resume transmission, the soldiers said on national TV.
