The general who seized power in Gabon declared himself president

In Gabon, a group of officers staged a coup and seized power. General Brice Oligui Ngema was appointed as the countryʼs interim leader and has now declared himself the official president.

Reuters writes about it.

He took the presidential oath in the capital Libreville before the Constitutional Court. Ngema said that he will be in office until it becomes possible to form a civilian government in the country. He did not name the date of the elections, but he promised to change the Constitution, update the criminal and electoral codes and release political prisoners.

• Ngema and the military seized power on August 30 after the local Central Electoral Commission announced the re-election of incumbent President Ali Bongo Ondimba for a third term. He is currently under house arrest. His family ruled Gabon for over 55 years.
• The coup was condemned by the United Nations, the African Union, the United States, Great Britain and France. He became the eighth in West and Central Africa since 2020. Before that, the military took power in Mali, Guinea, Burkina Faso, Chad and Niger. Russia is strengthening its influence in all these countries.