Yet another coup in Africa, this time in Gabon.

 

The coup plotters announcing the coup. Reuters. 

Another coup has occurred in Africa with the military overthrowing the president in Gabon after a contested election. Reuters. President Ali Bongo has been taken into custody after the country's election commission declared him the winner for a third term. General Brice Oligui Nguema, the head of the former President's guard, was declared the head of the government until a transition happens. The coup is just the latest in a series of coups in Africa, the eighth since 2020. Bongo's family had been in power for 56 years and did not share the millions of dollars made through the countries sail of oil and minerals. The coup raises questions of what will happen to the 350 French Troops that are currently in the country. 

My Comment:

Yet another coup if Africa. If the Reuters report is correct and there has been eight since 2020 that is really saying something for Africa. It is certainly not the most stable region in the world and this incident could destabilize it further. 

The west is, predictably, condemning this coup, most likely because Ali Bongo was not a threat to the status quo. The new coup leadership obviously is and that is why international groups are condemning this coup. After all, Gabon has a lot in the way of resources, including energy and mineral resources, and the powers that be don't want anything that threatens to cut off those resources. 

Other sources have admitted that the election was at least questionable. Bongo got some 64% of the vote, but who knows if that is true? Bongo and his family did not seem popular as this wasn't the first coup attempt against him and there were riots after the 2016 election. And Bongo also had a stroke in 2018. I think it's very possible there was fraud in this election. 

Regardless, something had gone wrong with Gabon if they had the same family ruling the country for 56 years. That's not supposed to happen in a democracy and I can't believe that in a political dynasty like that the government was actually helping the people. I am guessing the people will be with the coup plotters, at least for a time. 

That doesn't mean that the coup plotters are going to be any better than Bongo. Sometimes coups work out for the better but many times they do not. It could go either way of course and if the situation falls into civil war or worse then the people might regret allowing it to happen. It is of course too early to tell. 

France is probably going to be furious. Many of their former colonial possessions are having these coups and then kicking out their troops. They are fairly unpopular in Africa and most of their former colonies no longer want anything to do with them.