In its communique seen by PREMIUM TIMES, the AU said it decided to “immediately suspend the participation of the Republic of Gabon in all activities of the AU, its Organs and institutions until the restoration of constitutional order in the country.”
Senior military officers in Gabon on Wednesday announced that they had taken over the government because elections held in the Central African country on Saturday were not credible.
Few hours later, General Brice Nguema, leader of Gabon’s elite Republican Guard, who was in charge of the president’s security, was named transition leader.
The African Union condemned the coup and ordered the military to immediately return to the barracks and to “unconditionally return power to the civilian authority, uphold their constitutional mandate, and the principle of constitutionalism, and refrain from any interference in the political processes in Gabon.”
Failure to do so will attract necessary measures including the imposition of targeted sanctions against the perpetrators of the coup d’état, the Council said.
Several world leaders including Nigeria, UN, France, and EU have condemned the coup.
Additionally, the AU Council demanded the release of ousted President Ali Bongo, his family and other members of the government who have been arrested since Wednesday’s take over.
Mr Bongo has been under house arrest since the coup happened and was seen in a video calling on his friends to “make noise” to help him.
The AU also condemned “any politically motivated arrests in the circumstances, and stresses the importance of ensuring that all political detainees are processed through the judicial system as prescribed by the law of the land.”
Toppling Mr Bongo’s government brought an end to his family’s hold on the highest seat in Gabon. Omar Bongo, his father, was president from 1967 to 2009 and on his death, Ali Bongo assumed the seat and after two terms in office, he was ready to resume a third term after Saturday’s election that was widely perceived as not credible.
The AU Security Council asked the chairperson of the Commission to continue to closely monitor the evolution of the situation, including through the establishment of an inclusive monitoring mechanism, comprising the AU, ECCAS and other relevant stakeholders, and to report back to the Council within 15 days from the adoption of this communique.
The Gabon coup occured about a month after a similar one in Niger. The AU also condemned the coup in Niger and suspended the West African country from all its activities.
Culled from Premium Times
