Previously, the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS) suspended Gabon's membership following last week's coup.
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| The leader of the coup in Gabon, General Brice Oligui Nguema (right), was inaugurated as 'transitional president' on September 4. (Source: ANP) |
Gabon's state television reported on September 5th that the head of the country's new military government, General Brice Oligui Nguema, met with the President of the Central African Republic, Faustin Archange Touadera. The meeting took place following the August 30th coup in Gabon that overthrew the 55-year rule of the Bongo dynasty.
Previously, the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS) appointed Touadera as a “ political process facilitator” in Gabon. He was tasked with meeting with all Gabonese stakeholders and partners, with the goal of restoring constitutional order to the country as soon as possible. Gabonese television did not provide details about the negotiations.
This move comes shortly after Equatorial Guinea, a member of ECCAS, announced on September 4 that Gabon had been suspended from the 11-nation organization.
In a statement on social media , the Vice President of Equatorial Guinea, Teodoro Nguema Obiang Mangue, said that ECCAS had also ordered the relocation of the bloc's headquarters from Libreville, Gabon, to Malabo, his country's capital.
Earlier, in his inaugural address as "transitional president" on September 4th, General Brice Oligui Nguema, Chairman of the Commission for Institutional Transition and Restoration (CTRI), stated that the coup was "bloodless," with no reports of casualties.
The military coup leaders said they had dissolved national institutions and annulled the election results. General Oligui Nguema also declared he would create a more democratic system that respects human rights in Gabon, but said he would proceed "without haste."
General Brice Oligui Nguema, head of the Republican Guard, led the military coup on August 30, overthrowing President Ali Bongo Ondimba. The event occurred just minutes after Bongo, 64, was declared the winner of the presidential election on August 26.
Gabon, along with Mali, Guinea, Sudan, Burkina Faso, and Niger, is among the African nations that have experienced coups in the past three years. This trend has raised alarming alarm bells on the continent.
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