Military Announce Coup In Gabon To End The Bongo 50 Years Dynasty

The 2023 Gabonese coup d'état is an ongoing political event that took place in Gabon on 30 August 2023. Amidst a backdrop of contested election results and political tension, the country experienced a military-led coup that ousted the reelected president, Ali Bongo Ondimba, whose victory in the recent elections held on August 26 had been announced on August 29,2023.

The presidential elections held on August 26, 2023, marked a crucial moment in Gabonese politics. The incumbent president, Ali Bongo Ondimba, who had been seeking reelection, was declared the winner according to the official announcement made on August 29. 

However, allegations of electoral fraud and irregularities immediately emerged from opposition parties and independent observers, casting a shadow of doubt over the legitimacy of the election results. Albert Ondo Ossa, who came second in the elections, alleged electoral irregularities.

Just two hours before the polls closed, Ondo Ossa denounced "fraud orchestrated by the Bongo camp." He had already claimed victory and urged Bongo to facilitate a peaceful transfer of power based on his own purported vote count. The official election results were announced in the middle of the night on state television without prior notice.

 The country was placed under curfew and internet access was cut off throughout the nation, measures implemented by the government to prevent the spread of "false news" and potential "violence."

Since independence from France in 1960, Gabon has underwent several coups and coup attempts, with the last occurring in 2019 against Bongo, who has been President of the country since 2009 following the death of his father, Omar Bongo, who himself was in office since 1967. 

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