The deposed President of Gabon, Ali Bongo Ondimba, has made a distressed call to friends and sympathisers to come to his rescue.
He appeared in a video shortly after his regime was toppled, appealing to his friends all over the world to make some noise and rescue him and his family, held in separate locations by the revolting soldiers.
“I am Ali Bongo Ondimba, President of Gabon. I am to send a message to all our friends that we have all over the world to make some noise. The people here have arrested me and my family. My son is somewhere, and my wife is in another place. Right now I am under arrest, and nothing is happening. I don’t know what is going on. I am calling you to make noise, Make some noise. Thank you,” the ousted President cried out.
Military officers in Gabon have taken power and have put the president, Ali Bongo Ondimba, under their control.
Hours after declaring Bongo, 64, the winner of an election marred by fears of violence, the coup attempt occurred. He last appeared in public when he cast his vote on Saturday.
A group of military personnel appeared on state television and announced that they were seizing power to overturn the results of a presidential election. They aim to remove a president whose family has held power for nearly 56 years. The officers introduced themselves as members of the Committee of Transition and the Restoration of Institutions.
If it were to take place, it would be the ninth military takeover in West and Central Africa since the year 2020. The most recent one took place in Niger in July, while the military also seized control in Mali, Guinea, Burkina Faso, and Chad.
David Atangana contributed to this article
