Gabon coup leaders name Gen Oligui Nguema 'transitional president'
A video grab shows Gabonese soldiers carrying General Brice Oligui Nguema (C), head of the presidential guard of ousted President Ali Bongo Ondimba on August 30, 2023. PHOTO | AFP
Leaders of the coup in Gabon on Wednesday named a general transitional president after seizing power following disputed elections in which President Ali Bongo Ondimba, whose family has ruled for 55 years, had been declared winner.
The claimed takeover sparked condemnation from the African Union (AU) and alarm from Nigeria over "contagious autocracy" in a continent where the military have seized power in five other countries since 2020.
