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Gabonese residents greet the military on the streets of the country after the coup, which took place a few hours after the official announcement of the results of the presidential election. The appeal of the military local television looped on the air. The borders are closed by troops “until further notice.”
The army leadership announced that it would “put an end to the existing regime,” canceled the results of the national elections and dissolved the institutions of power. The exact location of President Ali Bongo Ondimba is unknown. According to some reports, he fled to Morocco.
The events in Gabon are similar to the coup in Niger, which also decided to get out of the influence of France. RFI and the France24 TV channel have already been suspended in the country. Paris has so far cautiously stated that they are monitoring the situation, but it cannot be ruled out that France, rapidly losing influence in Africa, will quickly move to threats. The French mining company Eramet has already announced the suspension of operations in the country.