Gabon President Ali Bongo Ondimba has been placed under house arrest, a few hours after army officers announced on state TV that they are taking power.
The coup leaders also say that they have arrested President Bongo’s son for ‘treason’.
“President Ali Bongo is under house arrest, surrounded by his family and doctors,” they said in a statement read out on state TV.
Annulling election results
The soldiers said that they were annulling the results of Saturday’s election in which President Bongo had been declared the winner.
Ostensibly, the soldiers said they were dissolving “all the institutions of the republic”.
“After observing irresponsible, unpredictable governance resulting in a continuing deterioration in social cohesion that risks leading the country into chaos… we have decided to defend peace by putting an end to the current regime,” one of the soldiers said on TV channel Gabon 24.
