The deposed president of Gabon Ali Bongo has called on his friends to assist him. Bongo, whose family has ruled Gabon for more than fifty years, send out a video pleading for help after a military coup.
“I want to send the message to all the friends all over the world, so I’m calling you to make noise. I’m thanking you.”
Meanwhile, residents of Port-Gentil, Gabon’s second largest city, took to the streets in droves on Wednesday to celebrate after military officers in the oil-producing nation said they had seized power, and had put President Bongo under house arrest.
The officers who said they represented the armed forces, declared on television that the election results were canceled, borders were closed, and state institutions were dissolved.
This after a tense vote without international observers that was set to extend the Bongo family’s more than half century in power.
Hundreds of people celebrated the military’s intervention in both Port-Gentil and the capital Libreville, while France, Gabon’s former colonial ruler which has troops stationed in the African nation, condemned the coup.
Additional reporting by Reuters
