Gabon lifts border closure after coup

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
2 Sep 2023 17:24

Last Wednesday, 12 Gabonese military men announced on national TV that the country's borders were closed until further notice.

This video grab shows coup supporters cheering police officers in Libreville, Gabon, on Aug. 30, 2023 (AP)

Gabon's military leaders said on Saturday that the country's borders will be reopened after they were closed since Wednesday due to the recent coup that toppled ex-president Ali Bongo.

According to a spokesman for Gabon's coup leaders, the junta had "decided with immediate effect to reopen the land, sea, and air borders as of this Saturday".

Last Wednesday, 12 Gabonese military men announced on national TV that the country's borders were closed until further notice.

On that day, General Brice Oligui Nguema, the head of the elite Republican Guard, led his military men in a coup to overthrow Ali Bongo, ending 55 years of rule by his family.

The military overthrew Bongo shortly after he was declared the winner of the presidential elections, which the opposition accused of being rigged.

The coup leaders announced that they had dissolved the country's institutions, annulled the election results, and closed the borders.

General Oligui Nguema will take the oath of office as the Gabonese transitional president on Monday.

Gabon is the sixth African country to have undergone a coup in the last three years. Other countries include Mali, Guinea, Sudan Burkina Faso, and most recently Niger.

So far, the new government has not committed to a swift return to civilian rule.