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Gabon Government Blocks Internet, Imposes Curfew After Election
Gabon’s government Saturday August 26, 2023 shut down the internet and imposed a curfew after a chaotic election that saw voting delays and accusations of fraud.
The Central African nation was holding presidential, legislative, and local elections simultaneously for the first time. Tensions were high as the opposition hoped to halt President Ali Bongo’s bid to extend his family’s 56-year grip on power.
Voting was due to start at 7:00 AM GMT, but at least five polling stations in the capital Libreville saw voters waiting hours for polls to open. Some voters gave up and went home.
The government blamed the delays on technical problems, but the opposition accused the government of trying to rig the election.
After the polls closed, the government shut down the internet and imposed a curfew from 7:00 PM to 6:00 AM. The government said the shutdown was necessary to prevent the spread of disinformation, but the opposition said it was an attempt to silence dissent.
The vote is a much-anticipated test of support for Bongo, who has been in power since 2009. He is facing a strong challenge from Jean Ping, a former foreign minister.
The results of the election are not yet known, but the shutdown of the internet and the imposition of the curfew have cast a shadow over the process.
Military Coup in Gabon Overturns Bongo’s Re-Election
A group of senior Gabonese military officers announced a coup on Wednesday August 30, minutes after the state election body announced that President Ali Bongo had won a third term.
The officers, who said they represented all security and defense forces in the Central African nation, appeared on national television and said they had dissolved the government, the senate, the national assembly, the constitutional court, and the election body. They also closed all borders and canceled the election results.
Loud sounds of gunfire were heard in the capital, Libreville, after the announcement. There was no immediate comment from the government or Bongo, who was last seen in public when he cast his vote in the election on Saturday.
The officers said they had taken power “in the name of the Gabonese people” and that they were committed to “defending the peace.” They called for calm and said they would soon announce a new government.
The coup is the latest in a series of political crises in Gabon. Bongo’s previous two electoral victories have been disputed by the opposition, which has accused him of fraud.
The European Union was not invited to observe this election. EU monitors previously questioned the validity of Bongo’s narrow victory in the 2016 presidential vote.
The coup is likely to have a significant impact on Gabon, a small oil-rich country on the coast of West Africa. Bongo has been in power since 2009, when he succeeded his father, Omar Bongo, who ruled for 42 years.
The African Union’s Peace and Security Council (PSC)Thursday suspended Gabon following the military coup. The PSC strongly condemned the coup and said that Gabon’s participation in all AU activities and institutions would be immediately suspended until constitutional order is restored.
The announcement came after a meeting of the PSC on Thursday to discuss the situation in Gabon. The meeting was chaired by Bankole Adeoye, the AU commissioner for political affairs, and Willy Nyamitwe, the current holder of the PSC’s rotating chair.
The coup took place on Wednesday following disputed elections in which President Ali Bongo Ondimba was declared the winner. The opposition has rejected the results of the election and called for Bongo to step down.
The military has said that it will respect all commitments at home and abroad and that it will phase in transitional institutions. The new leader, General Brice Oligui Nguema, is scheduled to be sworn in on Monday as transitional president.
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