Gabon Military Junta Names Col. Nguema As Head Of Transition Government *Ousted President Begs ‘Friends’ To Come To His Aid

Head of the Republican Guards, Colonel Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema, has been selected by his peers to lead the transition in Gabon after the military officers took over power on Wednesday morning.

The military announced that it had taken over power from Ali Bongo Ondimba early Wednesday citing a degraded of the country’s social atmosphere.

This is as the ousted President of Gabon, Ali Bongo, has pleaded with ‘friends’ of the country to “make noise” against the junta that ousted him from power.

They also said the August 26 presidential election in the country was fraudulently conducted.

The country’s electoral commission had announced at midnight on Tuesday that incumbent, Ali Bongo, won 64.27% votes with the opposition candidate Ondo Ossa scoring 30%.

According to a report by Cameroon News Agency, Col. Nguema’s position as the leader of the Republican Guards was to protect the president.

The coup on Wednesday shows that the Gabonese military has had enough of the irregularities going on in the country.

In April 2020, Colonel Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema took over the head of the Republican Guard, an elite Army corps responsible for protecting the head of state, replacing General Grégoire Kouna, a cousin of Ali Bongo Ondimba.

Ali Bongo Ondimba is currently being placed under house arrest at The Residence, the official home of the Gabonese President, while his wife and son were being held in unknown locations.

Bongo’s call was against a group of Gabonese military officers who cancelled his election, “putting an end to the current regime.”

His words:

“I’m sending a message to all friends that we have all over the world to tell them to make noise for (…) the people here who arrested me and my family.

“I’m calling you to make noise, to make noise, to make noise, really. I don’t know what is going on.”

Meanwhile, the governments of China, France, and Russia have reacted to the situation, calling for restraint on all sides.

Since the coup, citizens and several Gabonese soldiers were seen celebrating and commending the junta for the move.