When leading military figures in Gabon announced on August 30 that they had placed President Ali Bongo Ondimba under house arrest in a bid to remove him from power after 14 years, thousands of Gabonese took to the streets to demonstrate their support for the military. Videos show demonstrators singing the national anthem and celebrating the military, as the head of the Republican Guard was carried away in triumph by his men. FRANCE 24's Observers in Gabon told us how they feel: some are enthusiastic while others are much more wary of the military's intentions.
Shortly after the presidential election results were announced in Gabon the night of August 29 – showing Ali Bongo re-elected for a third term – military officers appeared on television to announce that a coup was under way. They appeared on the Gabon 24 channel, itself affiliated with the Gabonese presidency.
They announced the dissolution of "all the institutions of the Republic" due to the "serious institutional, political, economic and social crisis" facing the country.
In the early hours of the morning, thousands of Gabonese took to the streets to share their joy and celebrate the military.
‘We saw that they were high-ranking and that it looked serious’
Several of our Observers told us they were awoken in the early morning by gunshots, like Line (not her real name), a student who lives near the airport in the capital Libreville.
The shooting went on for quite a long time, about half an hour I'd say. We were pretty worried because we had no idea what was going on. Then we got the news that the soldiers were going to speak. We watched them speak on Gabon 24. We were puzzled at first: the last time there was an attempted coup [in 2019], it was low-ranking soldiers who spoke, but here we saw that they were high-ranking and that it looked serious.
I'm full of hope. There is a huge feeling of frustration in Gabon, and not just in recent years. My whole life has been spent in a country where there was no freedom, no progress, just lies and corruption. I can't say that I trust this new power, we can't be sure of its fairness, but despite the uncertainty, there is a real feeling of liberation.
Other Gabonese expressed their satisfaction: "It's a real liberation. I'm not suspicious of the military, we know they're on our side, so we've got time to see what's going to happen," says a resident of Port-Gentil.
By mid-morning, several videos had emerged showing General Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema, the commander-in-chief of the Republican Guard, being carried in triumph by soldiers in the courtyard of the Republican Guard. He is considered the country's new strongman.
‘The army was reacting to the electoral coup d'état orchestrated by the outgoing government'
The army's intervention followed the announcement of the presidential election results, which confirmed Ali Bongo's victory with almost 64.27% of the vote, against just over 30% for his main opponent, Albert Ondo Ossa. Many Gabonese feel that these results are skewed and that victory should have gone to the opposition candidate.
Marie (not her real name), a teacher living in Libreville, shares this sentiment.
The army was reacting to the electoral coup d'état orchestrated by the outgoing government, which had just announced Ali Bongo as the winner, even though the entire Gabonese population knows that the election was won by the opposition, Albert Ondo Ossa, who was elected with an overwhelming majority! If the army hadn't taken a stand, the population itself would have come out to claim their victory. I think the army reacted to protect the lives of the Gabonese people, because the outgoing government would not have hesitated to massacre the population. We've been through that before.
All the Gabonese people we spoke to on Wednesday told us that they were glad to see Ali Bongo ousted. But some, like activist Boursier Tchibinda, were worried about what might happen next.
This [attempted] coup d'état is already a historic act in itself. It marks a break with a system that has been in power for 60 years. But there are concerns as to whether there will be any consideration given to re-establishing the democratic order through the ballot box, whether there will be any laws governing the exercise of power, whether there will be any term limits ... In any case, we hope that these events will enable Gabon to turn a new political page, without Ali Bongo, and put the country on the right track.
‘I don't trust the army to return power to civilians’
Others, like Paul, unemployed in Franceville, are already sorry that the army did not hand over power to the opposition candidate, Albert Ondo Ossa:
The feeling is that the army is opposed to recognising Albert Ondo Ossa's victory. Of course, the first thing we wanted was to never again see the Bongo name associated with the presidency of the Republic, but in the end we're left wondering: Ali Bongo's allies have remained, and it's one of his guards, his closest guards, who now holds the reins of power... Will this be accepted by the population? I don't trust the army to return power to civilians. We're hearing talk of a two-year transition, maybe longer, and that's not a good sign.
