Cameroon: Government Spokesman Sadi Condemns “Anti-constitutional Change” in Gabon

By Boris Esono Nwenfor

BUEA, September 1, 2023 – René Emmanuel Sadi, Cameroon's Minister of Communication and government spokesman has condemned what he calls an unconstitutional coup in Gabon and said his government is worried about events that occurred in the country.

On Wednesday, August 30, military officers in oil-producing Gabon said they had seized power, placing President Ali Bongo Ondimba under house arrest and naming a new leader after the Central African state's election body announced Bongo had won a third term.

Noting that they represented the armed forces, the officers declared on television that the election results were cancelled, borders closed and state institutions dissolved, after a tense vote that was set to extend the Bongo family's more than half-century in power.

In a communique on August 31, René Emmanuel Sadi said: It (Cameroon government) condemns the ongoing anti-constitutional change of government which violates the fundamental principles and values of the Economic Community of Central African States and of the African Union.”

It calls on all stakeholders to ensure the physical integrity of President Ali Bongo and members of his family, the rapid restoration of constitutional order, and the preservation of peace and stability so dear to the sons and daughters of Gabon and the other Central African countries.”

Following the coup, the African Union (AU) announced the “immediate suspension” of Gabon from all activities of the continental body. The announcement came hours after the junta, in a state television broadcast, said the head of the elite Republican Guard, General Brice Oligui Nguema, will be officially sworn in as transitional president on Monday at the constitutional court.

On Wednesday, the head of the AU Commission, Moussa Faki Mahamat, said he "strongly condemns" what he described as an attempted coup in Gabon. Faki had also called on the Gabonese army and security forces “to guarantee the physical integrity” of Bongo, who the coup leaders said had been placed under house arrest.

Bongo’s fate remains unclear but the new Committee for the Transition and Restoration of Institutions (CTRI), which includes the heads of all army corps, said he had been put under house arrest and “placed in retirement”.

The country’s main opposition alliance meanwhile has urged the coup leaders to acknowledge it won the August 26 presidential election.  The opposition Alternance 2023 alliance had been silent after the coup but on Thursday “invited the defence and security forces to the discussion to work out … the best solution" following the vote.