One Year After the Gabon Coup: What Has Changed?

30th August 2024

4 minutes read

One Year After the Gabon Coup: What Has Changed?

On this day in 2023, military officials in Gabon put an end to a 14-year regime, ushering the African country into a new, yet uncertain phase.

On August 30th of last year, less than an hour after the announcement of President Ali Bongo Ondimba’s victory in a contested election, the military intervened to change the course of events.

The coup leaders at the time claimed the results were rigged and accused the Bongo regime of exercising “irresponsible governance.” They retired him and placed him under house arrest, while announcing the arrest of several ministers, officials, and key figures of the regime, charging them with corruption and high treason.

Thus, Gabon bid farewell to the Bongo family’s rule, which had been in power since 2009, following Ali Bongo’s succession of his father Omar Bongo, who had been the country’s president since 1967. The coup was only surprising in its timing, as most internal indicators in the country pointed to a decline in the ousted president’s legitimacy. It was clear that the discontent would eventually erupt.

Halfway Point

In a speech, Gabonese President General Brice Oligui Nguema declared that August 30th marks “National Liberation Day” in Gabon, as the transitional phase has reached its halfway point.

The African country is expected to hold elections by August 2025 at the latest, according to the military council that is currently in power.

In the meantime, the transitional president is working on improving his image in the eyes of the public, primarily by repeatedly using the term “liberation” in what appears to be an attempt to justify the coup.

He is also increasing the number of meetings during his “Republican tour,” resembling a pre-election campaign, as several figures have already called on him to run in 2025.

Most importantly, he is making efforts to reflect his image positively to the Gabonese people, breaking the typical military mold by dancing in uniform in some instances, and swimming under a waterfall during his “village vacation” in others.

Indeed, Gabonese analysts believe Nguema has successfully garnered widespread popularity, showcasing a contradictory mix of military discipline and a jovial spirit. Many secretly refer to him as “the Bongo killer.”

However, this has not prevented a few critical voices from emerging, albeit rare for various reasons. Activist Daniel Mengara said in a radio interview, “General Nguema wants to build institutions that suit him.”

At the same time, the former opposition and civil society, integrated into the transition process, do not oppose Nguema’s candidacy but seek “credible” elections and a democratic parliament that serves as a true counterbalance.

The future Constitution, which has been in drafting since last May, is expected to be adopted via referendum by the end of the year.

Reintegration

At the regional and international levels, a year after the coup, Gabon fully rejoined the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS), from which its membership had been suspended.

In the weeks following the coup, the transitional president intensified meetings with his counterparts in the Central African Republic, Congo-Brazzaville, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and even Chad. During all these sessions, his top priority was Gabon’s reintegration into ECCAS.

In December 2023, a first victory was achieved when the organization abandoned its plan to move its headquarters from the Gabonese capital, Libreville, to Malabo in Equatorial Guinea.

The transitional government continued its efforts by establishing a two-year timeline leading up to the next elections, prompting ECCAS to later recognize the “progress made in returning to constitutional order” and reintegrate Gabon last March.

Since then, Gabonese diplomacy has been calling for full reintegration into the African Union by following ECCAS’ example, which constitutional law professor Telesphore Ondo considers “the most appropriate framework for assessing Gabon’s situation”.

Ondo believes that once sanctions are lifted, the African Union should follow suit.

However, there has been no progress on this front. On July 5, AU Commission President Moussa Faki met with the Gabonese president without announcing any decisions.

On this day

On August 30, 2023, the coup came as a surprise to everyone, with no one expecting it, especially from the Republican Guard, and more precisely from its leader, Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema.

Up until that point, this general had played a key role within the state’s apparatus, and no one within the Bongo clan imagined that this trusted man, who had gained influence and rank since his return to favor in 2019, would turn against them.

To ensure the success of his move, Nguema was certain he could rely on the Republican Guard, which he had nurtured since assuming leadership of the institution in 2021.

But why did he decide to act on August 30, specifically?

Officially, it was due to the flawed presidential election results. Behind the scenes, however, many other reasons were at play, chief among them being the deep deterioration of his relationship with the Bongo family.

Nguema had clashed with Sylvia and Noureddin, the president’s wife and son. According to “Jeune Afrique” magazine, a fierce argument had erupted just hours before the coup between the general and Noureddin Bongo over the election results.