BREAKING: Gabon President Breaks Silence After Ouster In Country’s First Coup

BREAKING: Gabon President Breaks Silence After Ouster In Country’s First Coup

After being placed under house arrest by his presidential guard during an ongoing coup attempt on Wednesday, deposed President Ali Bongo of Gabon has reached out for assistance.

Appearing on the state-run television channel Gabon 24, rebel officers, claiming to represent all security and defense forces in the Central African nation, declared the cancellation of election results, closed borders, and the dissolution of state institutions.

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They announced their intent to defend peace by ending the current regime, and as one officer read their joint statement, several others stood silently behind him in military attire.

Identifying themselves as members of “The Committee of Transition and the Restoration of Institutions,” they listed the dissolved entities as the government, senate, national assembly, constitutional court, and election body.

Meanwhile, Bongo confirmed his arrest in a circulating video on social media, urging citizens to “make noise” in response to the coup attempt. However, Al Jazeera correspondents in Dakar reported that people were celebrating on the streets of Libreville, the capital of Gabon, waving flags in response to the developments.