The military coup in Gabon announced, on Wednesday, the appointment of the commander of the Republican Guard, Brice Olegy Nguema, as the president of the transitional phase in the country, after the overthrow of President Ali Bongo, who had declared victory in the country’s presidential elections, for a third term.
The military said that their move came “in light of the Bongo family’s control of the reins of power in the country for 55 years, and in light of the illness of the president,” who suffered a stroke in 2018, which prevented him from exercising his duties for a while.
Ali Bongo, 64, was elected president of the country for the first time in 2009, after the death of his father, Omar Bongo Ondimba, who ruled the country for more than 41 years. Ali was placed under house arrest after the coup.
The military issued a statement attributing their actions to the country’s entry into “serious institutional, political, economic and social crises,” claiming that “the elections did not meet the conditions for transparent voting, on which most Gabonians relied.”
Olegy Ngema did not appear in the statements that were broadcast on state television at the beginning of the coup, but he appeared carried on the shoulders in television footage after the announcement that Bongo was placed under house arrest, following the coup, which met with great international rejection, especially in light of the contagion of coups taking place in the brown continent. At the moment, the latest is in the nearby country Niger.
On Wednesday, the United States urged Gabon’s military to “preserve civilian rule, and to release detained members of the government and their families.”
“We urge those responsible to release members of the government and their families, ensure their safety and preserve civilian rule,” State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said in a statement.
He added, “The United States is deeply concerned about the development of events in Gabon. We remain firmly opposed to a military takeover or an unconstitutional transfer of power.”
“close to Bongo Sr.”
Nguema, 48, was born in the Haut-Ogouye department in south-eastern Gabon, the region from which the Bongo family hails.
According to “Agence France Presse”, he worked as an assistant to the late President Omar Bongo, who ruled the country for more than 4 decades.
The agency quoted a source in President Bongo’s party, the Gabonese Democratic Party, as saying that Olegy Nguema “knows the military institution well, and he is a soldier trained in good military academies, including the Royal Military Academy in Meknes, Morocco.”
He also explained that he was “very close to Bongo the Father, and served with him from 2005, until his death in 2009 in a hospital in Barcelona, Spain.”
Ali Bongo.. From the “funk” to the presidency in Gabon, succeeding his father
Gabonese President Ali Bongo is the third ruler of his country since its independence from France in 1960, where he succeeded his father, Omar Bongo, who ruled for 41 years.
And as soon as Ali Bongo came to power in 2009, he removed Ngema from his duties, to work as a military attache at the Gabonese embassy in Morocco for about 10 years.
And Nguema reappeared in 2018, when Bongo excluded his half-brother from the position of chief of intelligence of the Republican Guard in Gabon, and appointed Nguema in his place.
The following year, he was appointed as the head of the Republican Guard, which is responsible for protecting the president, his family and the country’s dignitaries.
At that time, Nguema began steps that “increased his popularity in the ranks of the army, as he persuaded President Bongo to improve the living conditions and working conditions of the soldiers, by developing facilities and financing schools for the soldiers’ children,” according to Agence France-Presse.
The agency quoted a source in the Gabonese National Party, who declined to be named, as saying that Nguema “is a good speaker and is appreciated among his soldiers.”
The agency also quoted another source as saying that the man who will lead the transitional period in Gabon is “seeking to reach compromises.”
Gabon.. Appointment of General Brice Olegie Ndjima as leader of the “transitional period”
Military personnel announced on national television in Gabon, on Wednesday, that the military council has appointed General Brice Olegy Ndjima as leader of the transitional period.
In the aftermath of the coup, Nguema said in an interview with the French newspaper “Le Monde”: “There is discontent in Gabon, and the head of state is sick. Everyone talks about it, but no one takes responsibility.”
He continued, “The president did not have the right to a third term in power. There is a disregard for the constitution, and the election method was not good. Therefore, the army decided to turn this page and assume its responsibilities.”
Regarding Bongo’s current situation, Nguema said that the president “has retired and enjoys all his rights, he is a Gabonese citizen like everyone else”.
And earlier, Bongo appeared in a video clip from his home in a wheelchair, hours after the military coup, and said: “I am Ali Bongo, President of Gabon. Send a message to all friends in all the world to make a fuss.”
Bongo’s third term was controversial, and tensions and fears of unrest escalated after the presidential, parliamentary and legislative elections, which were held on Saturday, after doubts about the election result were reinforced by the absence of international observers, the cutting of internet service, and the imposition of a night-time curfew across the country after the elections.
A new “blow” to France’s interests… The reasons for the Gabon coup and the possible repercussions
While Niger’s neighbors were studying how to intervene to restore democratic rule in the country in the aftermath of last July’s coup, the world was surprised, on Wednesday, by a new coup a few weeks later, only about 800 kilometers from Niger.
Bongo has been criticized for the country’s dilapidated economy, despite the riches it abounds in. It is one of the richest countries in Africa in terms of per capita GDP, thanks in large part to oil revenues and a small population of 2.3. one million population.
In the 1970s, the country discovered abundant oil reserves, which allowed it to build a strong middle class and earn the nickname “the small emirate in Central Africa,” according to AFP.
Oil accounts for 60 percent of the country’s revenues, and it is the largest producer of black gold in sub-Saharan Africa, the seventh largest producer in Africa, and a member of OPEC.
But the authorities fail to adequately diversify the economy, as it still depends to a large extent on hydrocarbons, and one person out of every 3 lives below the poverty line, and nearly 40 percent of Gabonese between the ages of 15 and 24 are unemployed, according to the bank. international.
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2023-08-31 05:44:29
