The leaders of the coup in Gabon have announced that the deposed president, Ali Bongo, has been placed into retirement status and is now an ordinary citizen of the nation.
According to a report from BBC , Brice Oligui Nguema, the Head of the Presidential Guard, conveyed this information to Le Monde newspaper on Wednesday. This development comes after senior military figures assumed control of the government and placed Bongo under house arrest.
The leader of the Presidential Guard refuted media reports suggesting that he had taken up the position of head of the military junta.
Nguema stated, “He has been placed in retirement. He has all his rights. He’s an ordinary Gabonese person, like everyone.”
Nguema explained that the decision to oust Bongo was driven by widespread discontent within the country. Additionally, he noted that Bongo had been grappling with health issues since 2018, which had led him to be absent from public life for ten months.
He elaborated, “There was discontent in Gabon, and on top of this discontent, there was the head of state’s illness. Everyone was discussing it, but no action was being taken. He did not have the right to pursue a third term. The Constitution had been violated, and the electoral process was not proper. Therefore, the military decided to move forward and initiate change.”
It’s worth mentioning that earlier on the same Wednesday, a video aired on state television showed the senior military officer being appointed as the transitional president. An official statement on Gabon 24 declared, “General Oligui Nguema Brice was unanimously appointed chairman of the Committee for the Transition and Restoration of Institutions, chairman of the transition,” as announced by an officer in the presence of numerous senior officers.
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