AU Condemns ‘Attempted Coup’ In Gabon

The Chairperson of the African Union Commission, AU, Moussa Mahamat, has stated that he is following with great concern the situation in Gabon which has been hit by a coup staged by the country’s military.

In a statement he issued on Wednesday, hours after the coup, Mahamat said the AU strongly condemned what he described as “the attempted coup d’état in the country” which was reportedly carried out as a way to resolve Gabon’s current post-election crisis.

“It strongly recalls that it constitutes a flagrant violation of the legal and political instruments of the African Union, including the African Charter on Elections, Democracy and Governance.

“It calls on the national army and the security forces to stick strictly to their republican vocation, to guarantee the physical integrity of the President of the Republic, the members of his family as well as those of his government.

“The Chairperson of the Commission encourages all political, civilian and military actors in Gabon to give priority to peaceful political means leading to the rapid return to democratic constitutional order in the country,” the statement read in part.

Meanwhile, ousted leader, President Ali Bongo, has been placed under house arrest while his son has also been arrested and accused of treason.