Gabon Coup Leaders Make Announcement On Borders Reopening

Gabon Coup Leaders Make Announcement On Borders Reopening

Gabon’s military announced on Saturday its decision to reopen the country’s borders, which had been closed following the military coup that removed former President Ali Bongo from power.

A spokesperson for Gabon’s military rulers made the announcement on state TV, stating that they had decided to reopen the land, sea, and air borders with immediate effect.

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The closure of Gabon’s borders had been declared by a group of 12 Gabonese soldiers on Wednesday, shortly after the coup led by General Brice Oligui Nguema, head of the elite Republican Guard, ousted President Ali Bongo Ondimba.

Bongo had been declared the winner of presidential elections just before the coup, a result contested as fraudulent by the opposition. The coup leaders had also dissolved the nation’s institutions and cancelled the election results when they closed the borders.

General Brice Oligui Nguema is expected to be sworn in as the transitional president on Monday. Several African countries, including Mali, Guinea, Sudan, Burkina Faso, and Niger, have experienced coups in recent years, with new rulers often resisting calls for a prompt return to civilian rule.