Gabon: Army officers say they seized power African country

The officers, claiming to represent “defence and security forces” in the country, made the announcement in a televised address on news channel Gabon24, reports CNN.

“On behalf of the Gabonese people and guarantor of the protection of institutions, CTRI [the Committee for the Transition and Restoration of Institutions] has decided to defend peace by putting an end to the regime in place,” a military officer said on the broadcast as quoted by CNN.

“All the institutions of the republic are dissolved: in particular the government, the Senate, the National Assembly, the Constitutional Court, Economic and Social and Environmental Council, and the Elections Council of Gabon,” the officer said.

In July, Niger’s military junta seized had seized control over the West African country.

The ongoing political crisis, with no clear solution in sight, is generating uncertainty and concern as Niger continues to experience repeated attacks by non-State armed groups, especially near the Mali and Burkina Faso borders, said UNHCR.

Recent violence has led to an extra 20,000 newly displaced in the last month according to UNHCR’s representative in Niger, Emmanuel Gignac, who noted that an increase in security incidents over the past few weeks has heightened protection risks for refugees, asylum-seekers and their hosts.

For example, in July UNHCR monitored 255 protection incidents including kidnapping, gender-based violence and domestic violence.

Witnessing a sharp increase since the military takeover, between 26 and 31 July, the agency recorded a 50 per cent increase in similar incidents compared with earlier in the month.

Last week, country's election body had announced Bongo won the  presidential election with 64.27% of the vote.

Sixty-four-year-old Bongo took charge of the country after his father  Omar Bongo died in 2009 due to cardiac arrest.

He was in office for 42 years.