“In the name of the Gabonese people … we have decided to defend the peace by putting an end to the current regime,” Aljazeera quoted the officers as saying.

A coup has happened in Gabon as a group of senior military officers took over the government.

The coup in Gabon becomes the seventh coup in Africa since 2019.

According to media reports early Wednesday, the senior military officers made this known through an announcement on national television.

“In the name of the Gabonese people … we have decided to defend the peace by putting an end to the current regime,” Aljazeera quoted the officers as saying.

They said they seized power in the central African country because elections held over the weekend were not credible.

They cancelled the elections, dissolved all state institutions and closed the country’s borders.

Gabon held an election on Saturday to elect a leader, the elections returned disputed after the electoral body announced incumbent President Ali Bongo as winning a third term.

Mr Bongo has been president since 2009 following the death of his father.

“The Gabonese Election Centre said Bongo had secured 64.27 per cent of the vote compared with 30.77 per cent for his main challenger Albert Ondo Ossa, after a process beset by delays,” Aljazeera said.

According to the BBC, gunshots are being heard across the capital, Libreville and the whereabouts of the president remains unknown.

The coupists claim to have the support of the armed forces.

The coup is coming barely a month after the 26 July coup in Niger which is creating a lot of political tension on the continent.

The coup in Gabon becomes the seventh coup in Africa since 2019.