The head of the military junta in Gabon is a cousin of the president who was deposed after the coup

Applauded by his soldiers, the head of Ali Bongo’s presidential guard in Gabon until Wednesday is the one accused of presiding over the military junta in that African country.

General Brice Oligui Nguema led the military coup that ended the Bongo family dynasty after 55 years in power in Gabon, a country still in uncertainty with no indication of how long the transition will last.

President Ali Bongo was ousted by members of the military on Wednesday, shortly after election authorities announced his re-election for a third term after 14 years in power.

His father, Omar Bongo, ruled this oil-rich country in Central Africa for over 41 years.

Amid cheers, the military hailed General Brice Oligui Nguema, head of the Republican Guard, an elite army unit, as leader of the “transition.” They have not specified how long this transition will take. Oligui is the nephew of deposed President Bongo.

The coup came hours after the election authority declared Bongo the winner of Saturday’s election with 64.27% of the vote.

The vote, which was denounced as fraudulent by the opposition, was annulled by the military.

The military restored internet access and broadcasts to three major media outlets that had been suspended by the Bongo government on Saturday evening.

However, they maintained a curfew “to maintain calm and serenity”, as well as the closure of borders.

But the Gabonese and the international community await details on how long military rule will last and how a return to civilian rule will take place.

Who is Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema

Trained at the Royal Military Academy of Meknes in Morocco, Oligui Nguema is the son of a military officer and is considered one of the most influential figures in Gabon.

It has always been tied to power. In April 2019, he received another promotion and became the head of the Republican Guard itself, in charge of presidential security.

In addition to his military work, Nguema pursued business activities and is considered a millionaire in high Gabonese circles. According to an investigation published in 2020 by the Organized Crime and Corruption Project (OCCRP) journalistic network focusing on the assets of the Bongo Ondimba family in the US, Nguema owns several properties in the North American country.

“(Nguema) bought three properties in working- and middle-class neighborhoods in the Maryland suburbs of Hyattsville and Silver Spring, just outside Washington, DC. The houses have been purchased over a million dollars in cash”, the OCCRP assured in its report.

The senior soldier said it was a private matter. “I think that in France as well as in the United States, private life is a private life that must be respected.”

Bongo dynasty

Another pending issue is the future of Ali Bongo.

The deposed leader was first elected in 2009 after the death of his father, who is said to have made a fortune from Gabon’s oil wealth.

He was re-elected in a hotly contested election in 2016 before suffering a cardiac arrest in 2018 that weakened his power.

Coup leaders said on Wednesday that Bongo was under house arrest and “surrounded by his family and his doctors.”

One of his sons, Noureddin Bongo Valentin, was arrested for “high treason”.

Senior officials of the regime, advisers to the presidency and the two top officials of the powerful Gabonese Democratic Party (PDG) were also arrested, charged with treason, embezzlement, corruption and forgery of the president’s signature.

Military juntas in Africa

The coup in Gabon was condemned by the African Union on a continent where the… Since 2020, armed forces in five other countries have seized power.

However, European Union chief diplomat Josep Borrell expressed caution, pointing out that the military intervened after unfair elections.

“Of course military coups are not the solution, but we must not forget that elections in Gabon were full of irregularities,” Borrell said on Thursday.

The US State Department said it was “deeply concerned” and “strongly opposed to military takeovers,” while questioning the “lack of transparency and reports of election irregularities.”

In the streets of the capital and the economic center of Port-Gentil, groups of jubilant residents celebrated on Wednesday.

In Libreville, about 100 people sang “Bongo out!” and applauded the police officers in riot gear, an AFP journalist noted.

Saturday’s vote took place without international observers and the organization Reporters Without Borders denounced the fact that foreign journalists were not allowed to cover the elections.

Since 2020 there are military coups in Mali, Guinea, Sudan, Burkina Faso and Niger. (JO)

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