African Union "suspends" Gabon with immediate effect

The African Union announced Thursday the suspension with immediate effect of Gabon, where soldiers overthrew President Ali Bongo Ondimba on Wednesday.

The continental organization "strongly condemns the takeover of power by the military in the Republic of Gabon", announced the AU in a press release published on X (formerly Twitter).

The organization's Peace and Security Council "decides to immediately suspend Gabon's participation in all activities of the AU, its organs and institutions" , the press release continued.

The meeting was chaired by the Commissioner for Political Affairs of the African Union, the Nigerian Bankole Adeoye, and the current holder of the rotating presidency of the council, the Burundian Willy Nyamitwe.

On Wednesday, the chairperson of the African Union commission, Moussa Faki Mahamat, "strongly" condemned what he described as "the attempted coup" in the oil-rich central African country Gabon. which had been run for over 55 years by the Bongo family.

Putschist soldiers announced on Wednesday that they had "put an end to the regime in place" in Gabon and had placed President Ali Bongo Ondimba, in power for 14 years, under house arrest, just after the official announcement of his victory in the presidential election held on Saturday.

Moussa Faki Mahamat also called on the Gabonese army and security forces “to guarantee the physical integrity” of Ali Bongo Ondimba.