- Bongo’s family have ruled for 56 years
- Junta names General Brice Oligui Nguema as leader
- From house arrest, Bongo appeals for support
- France, with troops in Gabon, condemns coup
LIBREVILLE, Aug 30 (Reuters) – Military officers in oil-producing Gabon said they had seized power on Wednesday, placing President Ali Bongo under house arrest and naming a new leader after the Central African state’s election body announced Bongo had won a third term.
Saying they represented the armed forces, the officers declared on television that the election results were cancelled, borders closed and state institutions dissolved, after a tense vote that was set to extend the Bongo family’s more than half century in power.
Bongo lost the elections but the state election body controlled by Bongo claimed he won, but the true result shows that Bongo lost.