Military Coup leaders in Gabon say President Ali Bongo Ondimba is under house arrest, while one of his sons has been arrested for “treason,” military officers said Wednesday, hours after announcing they had overthrown the government.
“President Ali Bongo is under house arrest, surrounded by his family and doctors,” they said in a statement read out on state TV.
Reports from Libreville indicate that there is heavy presence of security forces on the streets, while residents were seen jubilating.
“The presidential guards seems to have taken control of the presidential palace and they have taken key positions around the National Assembly and the Senate,” Al Jazeera Haque said.
Soldiers appeared on Gabonese national television, announcing the cancellation of recent election results and the dissolution of “all the institutions of the republic”.
The coup follows shortly after the national election authority’s announcement on Wednesday that Gabon’s President Ali Bongo Ondimba had been re-elected for a third term.
