Home
Gabon president Bongo ‘under house arrest’ as military seized power
- Details
- Written by northsouth
- Category: Africa
- Hits: 300
LIBREVILLE - Twelve Gabonese soldiers take over television channel’s broadcast to announce they are dissolving ‘all the institutions of the republic’.
Gabon’s military says it has seized power in the central African nation and placed president Ali Bongo under house arrest, a move that threatens the end of more than five decades in power for the Bongo family.
A dozen soldiers appeared on national TV on Wednesday to denounce the general election results that had been issued a short while earlier, in which Mr Bongo was declared the winner.
Around the time of the announcement, gunfire was heard in the centre of the Gabon capital Libreville.
The military said other politicians had also been placed under house arrest.
Hundreds of people took to the streets in Libreville to celebrate the end of Mr Bongo’s government amid widespread frustration over rising costs of living and other issues.
“Thank you, army. Finally, we’ve been waiting a long time for this moment,” a resident named Yollande Okomo told the Associated Press, standing in front of soldiers from Gabon‘s elite republican guard.
The soldiers who appeared on TV early on Wednesday said they were from “the Committee of Transition and the Restoration of Institutions” and that they represented all of Gabon’s security and defence forces.
A soldier said they were dissolving “all the institutions of the republic”. “We have decided to defend peace by putting an end to the current regime,” he said.
The military announced all borders of the country have been closed until further notice.
The apparent coup came shortly after Mr Bongo was declared the winner in a recent presidential election, handing him a third term in power. The results of the elections had been delayed since Saturday as the opposition claimed it was marred by fraud.
The Gabonese Election Centre (CGE) announced that Mr Bongo secured just under two-thirds of votes cast.
The seizure of power by the Gabonese army would end the Bongo family’s almost 55-years grip on power in the country.
Mr Bongo took the reins of the oil-rich and poverty-stricken nation in 2009 after the death of his father Omar Bango, who ruled the country for 42 years.
The government has so far issued no comment on Wednesday morning’s developments.
Concerns about the transparency of the electoral process had been raised in the absence of international observers, with the government shutting down internet services and enforcing a nationwide curfew at night following the election.
Dissatisfaction with the Bongo family’s long hold on power has been steadily increasing within Gabon, a major oil producer and member of OPEC. Violent unrest erupted in the country following Mr Bongo’s victory in the 2016 election. In 2019, a coup attempt was barely thwarted by his government and military leaders were sent to jail.
The European Union’s defence ministers are to discuss the latest situation in Gabon, as the bloc said the attempted coup will only add to instability for the region.
“If this is confirmed, it is another military coup which increases instability in the whole region,” said EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, speaking at a meeting of EU defence ministers in Toledo.
“The whole area, starting with Central African Republic, then Mali, then Burkina Faso, now Niger, maybe Gabon, it’s in a very difficult situation and certainly the ministers ... have to have a deep thought on what is going on there and how we can improve our policy in respect with these countries,” he said.
He said instability in the region is a “big issue for Europe”.
The French prime minister, meanwhile, said they are following the developments in Gabon very closely.
Elisabeth Borne made the comments without providing further details as she addressed a meeting of ambassadors in Paris.
Russia said it was also closely following the developments in the African nation.
The election commission head Michel Stephane Bonda said Mr Bongo won the presidential election with 64.27 per cent of the vote and his challenger, Albert Ondo Ossa, secured 30.77 per cent of the votes.
Mr Bongo’s campaign had rejected the opposition party’s allegations of electoral irregularities.
French mining company Eramet said that it is suspending all operations in the country in the wake of Wednesday’s events.
A coup in Gabon would represent the eighth in west and central Africa since 2020. In that period there have been military takeovers in Mali, Guinea, Burkina Faso, Chad and most recently Niger.
West African bloc says 'we are going into Niger' if all else fails
- Details
- Written by northsouth
- Category: Africa
- Hits: 557
By Maxwell Akalaare Adombila and Boureima Balima
ACCRA/NIAMEY - The West African bloc ECOWAS stands ready to intervene militarily in Niger should diplomatic efforts to reverse a coup there fail, a senior official told army chiefs who were meeting in Ghana on Thursday to discuss the details of a standby force.
Niger military officers deposed President Mohamed Bazoum on July 26 and have defied calls from the United Nations, ECOWAS and Western powers to reinstate him, prompting West African heads of state to order the standby force to be assembled.
"Let no one be in doubt that if everything else fails, the valiant forces of West Africa...are ready to answer to the call of duty," ECOWAS Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security Abdel-Fatau Musah said.
"By all means available, constitutional order will be restored in the country," he told assembled defence chiefs from member countries, listing past ECOWAS deployments in Gambia, Liberia and elsewhere as examples of readiness.
Niger has strategic importance beyond West Africa because of its role as a hub for foreign troops involved in the fight against Islamist insurgents in the Sahel region and its uranium and oil reserves.
Western countries fear the junta could follow the lead of neighbouring Mali, where the military government threw out French troops and instead invited in mercenaries from Russia's Wagner group, which has welcomed the coup in Niger.
In Niger's capital Niamey, where large crowds have taken part in protests against ECOWAS and in favour of the coup leaders, residents rejected the idea of an outside intervention to reinstate the elected president and civilian government.
"I'm not afraid because I know our armed forces are well prepared to deal with any eventuality," said radio technician Omar Yaye.
"ECOWAS is manipulated by foreign powers. When we see the reactions of France since the coup and especially the harshness of ECOWAS I can only think that these are coordinated actions between France and ECOWAS," he said, echoing anti-French rhetoric used by the junta since the coup.
'CAT AND MOUSE'
France, Niger's former colonial ruler, has denied the junta's accusation that it was seeking to destabilise the country or that it had violated its airspace. It has said it supported ECOWAS efforts to restore constitutional order.
French troops, along with U.S., German and Italian forces, are present in Niger as part of international efforts to combat the Islamist insurgents who have caused thousands of deaths and forced millions to flee their homes over the past decade.
Musah rejected the accusation that ECOWAS was being manipulated by France or any other outside power.
"What they forget is that ECOWAS is a rules-based organisation. We have our protocols, we have our norms and we are ready to protect them," he said.
"That's why the heads of state are saying if push comes to shove we are going into Niger with our own contingents, own equipment and our own resources to make sure we restore constitutional order. If other democracy-loving partners want to support us they are welcome," he said.
Musah accused the Niger coup leaders of "playing cat-and-mouse" with ECOWAS by refusing to meet with its envoys and seeking justifications for their takeover of power.
He said most of the bloc's 15 member states were prepared to participate in the standby force that could intervene in Niger. The exceptions were those also under military rule - Mali, Burkina Faso and Guinea - and tiny Cape Verde.
Musah criticised the junta's announcement that it had elements to put Bazoum, who is being detained, on trial for treason. The United Nations, European Union and ECOWAS have all expressed concerns over the conditions of his detention.
"The irony of it is that somebody who is in a hostage situation himself...is being charged with treason. When did he commit that high treason is everybody’s guess," Musah said.
West African regional group weighs next steps on Niger
- Details
- Written by northsouth
- Category: Africa
- Hits: 316
ABUJA - West African leaders were weighing their next moves on Saturday as they seek to overturn a military coup in Niger that has rocked the region but also triggered a groundswell of support in the country.
Niger's military last month imprisoned President Mohamed Bazoum and assumed power, drawing condemnation from international powers and raising the spectre of further conflict in the impoverished Sahel region of West Africa which is already overrun by a deadly Islamist insurgency.
The regional bloc ECOWAS on Thursday decided to activate a task force drawing on troops from across the region for a possible military intervention to undo what was the seventh coup in West and Central Africa in three years.
At stake is not just the fate of Niger - a major uranium producer and key Western ally in the fight against the Islamists - but also the concerns of global powers with key strategic interests in the semi-desert zone.
U.S., French, German and Italian troops are stationed in Niger to repel local affiliates of al Qaeda and Islamic State that have killed thousands and displaced millions across the Sahel.
Western powers fear Russian influence could grow stronger if the junta in Niger follows Mali's example by ejecting Western troops and inviting in mercenaries from Russia's Wagner Group.
Thousands of people gathered in Niger's capital on Friday to demonstrate in favour of the coup. The rally began at a French military base in the capital Niamey, then protesters with signs and flags spread onto surrounding streets.
"Long live Russia," one protester's sign read. "Down with France.... Down with ECOWAS," referring to the Economic Community of West African States.
Regional army chiefs were set to meet in the coming days. It was not yet clear how long the ECOWAS force would take to assemble, how big it would be and if it would actually invade. The organisation stressed that all options were on the table and it hoped for a peaceful resolution.
Security analysts said the force could take weeks to set up, potentially leaving room for negotiations.
Meanwhile, the African Union, the European Union, the United States and the United Nations all said they were increasingly worried about Bazoum's detention conditions.
The U.N. Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk on Friday said the conditions were "rapidly deteriorating" and could amount to a violation of international human rights law.
ECOWAS prepares standby force for possible Niger intervention
- Details
- Written by northsouth
- Category: Africa
- Hits: 304
By Edward Mcallister and Anait Miridzhanian
ABUJA, NIGERIA - West African nations on Friday worked on plans for a possible military intervention in Niger following an army coup there although they have not given up hope of a peaceful resolution to a crisis that has shaken the region.
The Nigerien military ousted former President Mohamed Bazoum on July 26, the seventh coup in West and Central Africa in three years and an action that raised the spectre of more unrest in an impoverished region battling an Islamist insurgency.
The regional bloc ECOWAS ordered the activation of a standby force on Thursday for possible use against the new junta, saying all options including military action were on the table.
It was not clear how big the force would be, if it would actually invade, and which countries would contribute. Security analysts said an ECOWAS force could take weeks or longer to assemble, potentially leaving room for negotiations.
Speaking to reporters on Thursday after a summit of its heads of state in the Nigerian capital Abuja, Ivory Coast President Alassane Ouattara said he considered the detention of Bazoum "a terrorist act" and promised to supply a battalion of troops to the force.
Asked how many troops that would involve, an Ivorian army spokesperson said a battalion consisted of 850 troops. Other countries are yet to say how many troops they could provide, if at all.
The coup in uranium-rich Niger, one of the world's poorest countries but a key ally for the West in the fight against Islamist militants in the Sahel region, was triggered by internal politics but has repercussions far beyond its borders.
U.S., French, German and Italian troops are stationed in Niger as part of the fight against the Islamist insurgency.
ECOWAS (Economic Community of West African States) the United Nations and Western countries are putting pressure on the junta to stand down, while military governments in neighbouring Mali and Burkina Faso have said they will defend it.
ECOWAS said on Thursday that all its diplomatic efforts so far had been "defiantly repelled" by the junta.
France said it fully backed all the conclusions of the ECOWAS meeting. But it stayed clear of outlining any concrete support it could give to any potential intervention.
Reiterating support for the efforts by ECOWAS, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the United States would hold the junta accountable for the safety of Bazoum and his family. The EU also called for his immediate release.
"President Bazoum has dedicated his life to improve conditions for the people of Niger. Nothing justifies such a treatment," EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said in a statement.
Human Rights Watch said it had spoken to Bazoum this week and that the ousted president, who is being held captive by the junta with his wife and son, had told them that his family's treatment in custody was "inhuman and cruel".
"My son is sick, has a serious heart condition, and needs to see a doctor," HRW quoted Bazoum as telling them. "They’ve refused to let him get medical treatment."
HRW said Bazoum told them he had had no electricity since Aug. 2 and had not been allowed to see family and friends who wanted to bring them supplies.
Main News
latest news
- Heatwave grips India’s north as mercury in Delhi touches 47C
- Israeli abuse of jailed Palestinian leader Marwan Barghouti ‘amounts to torture’
- Napkin which helped bring 13-year-old Messi to Barcelona sells for $1 million
- Israeli minister vows to quit war cabinet if PM fails to adopt new Gaza plan
- OpenAI putting ‘shiny products’ above safety, says researcher
- Harm caused by alcohol costs $40bn a year in England
- Wealth of Rishi Sunak and wife Akshata Murty leaps to £651m
- Fifa to hold urgent meeting to decide if Israel should be thrown out of football
- Spain and UK hail new 'breakthroughs' but fall short on Gibraltar deal
- EU compels Microsoft to give information under the Digital Services Act
- Recognition of state of Palestine 'lays bare failed EU diplomacy' in Middle East
- Israel 'attacked known humanitarian aid workers in Gaza at least eight times', HRW
- UN aid chief warns humanitarian efforts stuck due to Israeli operation in Rafah
- At least 15 killed in Israeli air strike on Jabalia camp in northern Gaza
- Austria to resume aid to UNWRA but other nations hold out
- Coca-Cola and Pepsi rival Palestine Drinks hits multimillion sales
- Out on bail, firebrand Indian politician poses fresh challenge for Modi
- Israeli cabinet rifts over Gaza break out into the open
- Spain to recognise Palestinian state together with other countries
- Spain to recognise Palestinian state together with other countries
- Hundreds more French police start deploying to secure New Caledonia
- Israel moves into north Gaza Hamas stronghold, pounds Rafah
- Global financial stability at risk due to cyber threats, IMF warns
- What did ICJ ruling mean in South Africa's genocide case against Israel?
- Israel troops continue posting abuse footage despite pledge to act
Europe
Harm caused by alcohol costs $40bn a year in England
Wealth of Rishi Sunak and wife Akshata Murty leaps to £651m
Spain and UK hail new 'breakthroughs' but fall short on Gibraltar deal
EU compels Microsoft to give information under the Digital Services Act
Recognition of state of Palestine 'lays bare failed EU diplomacy' in Middle East
Austria to resume aid to UNWRA but other nations hold out
Coca-Cola and Pepsi rival Palestine Drinks hits multimillion sales
Spain to recognise Palestinian state together with other countries
Spain to recognise Palestinian state together with other countries
Ed Sheehan the richest young musician in the UK
Sir Paul McCartney becomes first UK billionaire musician
Russia expels UK defence attache in tit-for-tat diplomatic row
Slovakia’s PM is expected to survive assassination attempt, deputy says
EU Projects Higher Growth in Eurozone
Germany: British-Palestinian Doctor Denied Schengen Entry
facial recognition cameras trial catches 100 alleged offenders
Zelensky cancels all foreign trips as Ukraine pulls back troops
Slovakia PM shooting - in life-threatening condition
France: Manhunt after two prison officers killed in ambush to free drug dealer
Orcas sink sailing yacht in Strait of Gibraltar
MERA25 parties launch European Elections campaign on Nakba Day in Athens
Russia says it downs 16 Ukraine-launched missiles, 31 drones
West not doing enough to push Israel to agree on truce, Erdogan says
German-African Energy Forum in Hamburg 15-16 May
Firmly committed to two-State solution: UK, France
Asia
Heatwave grips India’s north as mercury in Delhi touches 47C
Out on bail, firebrand Indian politician poses fresh challenge for Modi
China LNG imports could hit record levels in 2024
Putin heads to China with military ties front and center
Hundreds killed in flash floods in northern Afghanistan
Indian court grants temporary bail to opposition leader Kejriwal to campaign in elections
China's third aircraft carrier completes first sea trial
Asia is heating up faster than the global average
Scientist who gave world the Covid sequence is locked out of his lab by Chinese
Philippines accuses China of damaging its vessel in disputed South China Sea shoal
Indian Authorities Stop Australian Journalist from Covering Elections
China's Xi to visit France, Serbia and Hungary, aims to boost EU ties
Five killed as tornado strikes Guangzhou in southern China
China skips red-carpet welcome for Blinken
India's poll panel seeks responses to complaints against Modi, Rahul Gandhi
Amid China tensions, India delivers supersonic cruise missiles to Philippines
Asia is most climate disaster-impacted region, UN
India's Modi accused of anti-Muslim campaign hate speech
Nature-based solutions for flood management in Asia and the Pacific
Gunmen kill 7 customs officials in western Pakistan in two attacks
In Modi’s India, opponents and journalists squeezed ahead of election
Vietnamese billionaire sentenced to death for $44 billion fraud
People blown from apartments as typhoon-like winds ravage southern China
North Korea says it tested a new hypersonic intermediate-range missile
Strongest earthquake in 25 years rocks Taiwan, killing 9 people
Africa
What did ICJ ruling mean in South Africa's genocide case against Israel?
South Sudan: 7 million may face high levels of food insecurity
Starlink internet shutdown in Sudan will punish millions, Elon Musk warned
Outdated laws stall progress on women’s rights in 20 countries across Africa – study
EU to extend Mozambique military mission despite setbacks
How to connect Africa’s universities to its tech ecosystems
Fighting in Eastern DR Congo has reached new heights
Africa CEO Forum in Kigali 16-17 May
First UN civil society forum held in Africa heralds ‘inclusive’ Summit of the Future
Unprecedented flooding displaces hundreds of thousands across East Africa
EU opens data pact talks with Kenya, in first for Africa
Niger joins Africa’s oil producer club
Mozambique’s ruling party picked Daniel Chapo as candidate for president
Mali: Armed Groups, Ethnic Militias Commit Atrocities
Chad to hold presidential election Monday
UN agencies warn of imminent starvation risk in Sudan’s Darfur region
Attacks on civilians in DR Congo
Niger: Russian military deployed at airbase housing American troops
The world needs Africa’s critical minerals
Kenya’s president is under pressure over flood response
East and Southern Africa: Journalists targeted amid ongoing crackdown on media
US losing influential edge to China in Africa, poll
DR Congo conflict could spell catastrophe
Ecobank Group reports profit before tax of $581 million
AI in Africa opens up new battlefront for China, US
Americas
US military says Gaza Strip pier project is completed while war rages on
Magician David Copperfield accused of sexual misconduct by multiple women
Biden sharply hikes US tariffs on an array of Chinese imports
US is still falling behind on electronic warfare, special operators warn
Wildfires rage in British Columbia
Blinken delivers strongest public criticism of Israel’s conduct of war in Gaza
UN expert raises alarm over unfair treatment of pro-Palestinian student protesters in US
Campus protesters are being silenced – where are the ‘free speech’ defenders now?
Israel may have broken International Law in Gaza, State Dept. Says
Another climate record: Extreme heat, hurricanes, droughts ravage Latin America and Caribbean
US paused bomb shipment to Israel over concerns of Rafah assault
Mexico is heading towards its most violent election ever
UNDP's Achim Steiner on why the G20 should care much more about debt
Democratic lawmakers tell Biden evidence shows Israel is restricting Gaza aid
Fresh chaos, arrests on US college campuses as police flatten camp at UCLA
Biden cancels $6.1 billion in debt for 317,000 students
Over 2,000 pro-Palestinian protesters arrested across US campuses
2024 US-Africa Business Summit in Dallas 6-9 May
Chinese-owned fintech sees valuation rise
Most Americans see TikTok as a Chinese influence tool, Reuters/Ipsos poll
Police arrest dozens of pro-Palestinian protesters at Columbia University
Pro-Palestinian supporters and counter-protesters clash on UCLA campus over Gaza
Alarming rise in enforced disappearances ahead of Venezuela poll
Ottawa negotiations bring global plastics treaty one step closer
Dozens arrested at Columbia University as New York police disperse Gaza protest
Australia & Pacific
Hundreds more French police start deploying to secure New Caledonia
France declares state of emergency in New Caledonia as protests rage
Australia’s 2024 National Defence Strategy
Sydney rocked by second mass stabbing as knifeman attacks bishop
Three dead, 1,000 homes destroyed in Papua New Guinea quake
Australia and UK sign defense and security treaty
Australia tightens student visa rules as migration hits record high
Global food crisis and the effects of climate change need urgent action, IFAD
Indonesia, Australia to sign defence pact within months
Australia to ban doxxing after pro-Palestinians publish information about hundreds of Jews
Australia launches inquiry into why Cabinet documents relating to Iraq war remain secret
Australia says AI will help track Chinese submarines under new Aukus plan
China warns Australia to act prudently in naval operations in South China Sea
Christopher Luxon sworn in as new prime minister of New Zealand
Australian Intelligence Report Identifies China as Major Backer of Cyber Crime
Thousands in Australia join pro-Palestinian march over Gaza
Australia rejects Indigenous referendum in setback for reconciliation
Qatar Airways CEO says Australian decision to block flights ‘very unfair’
Moroccan Othmane El Goumri wins Sydney marathon
More than half of Australians oppose Indigenous panel in constitution, poll
Three US Marines die in 'tragic' Australia helicopter crash
Australian bus carrying wedding guests rolls over killing 10 and injuring 25
Guam, where America’s next war may begin
Women most victims of islamophobia in Australia
Time to step up investments in rural communities in the Pacific islands
MENA
Israeli abuse of jailed Palestinian leader Marwan Barghouti ‘amounts to torture’
Israeli minister vows to quit war cabinet if PM fails to adopt new Gaza plan
Israel 'attacked known humanitarian aid workers in Gaza at least eight times', HRW
UN aid chief warns humanitarian efforts stuck due to Israeli operation in Rafah
At least 15 killed in Israeli air strike on Jabalia camp in northern Gaza
Israeli cabinet rifts over Gaza break out into the open
Israel moves into north Gaza Hamas stronghold, pounds Rafah
Israel troops continue posting abuse footage despite pledge to act
Five Israeli soldiers killed by their own tank
'Kidnapped' man found after 27 years hidden in neighbour's cellar
Fresh arson attempt was made on UNRWA HQ in East Jerusalem
Guterres deplores Rafah escalation
China’s Hailiang, Shinzoom to Build Auto Battery Plants in Morocco
Top UN court is holding hearings on the Israeli military’s incursion into Rafah
Netanyahu fends off criticism over his lack of a postwar plan for Gaza
Gaza: 600,000 displaced from Rafah
UN says it has no more food or tents for nearly 2m people in Gaza
Palestinians mark their original 'catastrophe' with eyes on the war in Gaza
‘No water, food, health care, toilet’: Desperation deepens in Gaza
Israeli forces back in old Gaza battlegrounds as doubts over war aims grow
Israel-Hamas ceasefire talks hit 'stalemate', Qatar says
'Outrage’: US condemns Israeli settlers’ attack on Gaza aid trucks
Palestinians mark 76 years of dispossession as catastrophe unfolds in Gaza
Calls for sustained peace efforts in Yemen as cholera outbreak worsens
Rights experts urge Iran to revoke death sentence against activist
Videos
-
Future of car-plane, see it to believe it
-
Mehdi Hasan: Islam is a peaceful religion
-
Python swallows antelope whole in under an hour
-
Sangoku dance
-
flying 3 kites wonder!
-
Korea has talent
-
Paul Potts sings Nessun Dorma
-
Susan Boyle - Britain's Got Talent
-
Twist and Pulse - Britain's Got Talent
-
Shaheen Jafargholi (HQ) Britain's Got Talent
High-Quality clip of 12-year-old singer Shaheen Jafargholi auditioning on Britain's Got Talent 2009. First he sings Valerie by The Zutons, as performed by Amy Winehouse, but, after Simon interrupts him and asks for a different song, he just blew everyone away. -
David Calvo juggles and solves Rubik's Cubes
-
Outdoor 'bubble pod' hotel unveiled