![African military interventionism and the illusion of good-fortune [Part 1] - By Dennis Onakinor](https://thenewsguru.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Screenshot-2023-10-02-at-6.39.28-AM-120x86.png)
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A few hours ago, senior army officers announced on live television a takeover of power in Gabon, TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports.
TNG reports this will be the second coup attempt in Gabon in 5 years after one was foiled by the people in 2019.
The 2019 coup attempt in Gabon resulted in the sentencing of the soldiers involved to 15 years imprisonment in 2021.
If this coup is successful, the military will bring the 56-year Bongo family dynasty to a dramatic end.
Current President Ali Bongo took over from his father, Umar Bongo, who was president from 1967 until his death in 2009.
The ousted president has been president since his father’s death, supervising fraudulent elections, including the recent one held five days ago.
The recent election saw Bongo emerge as the winner with 52% of the total votes cast, according to the country’s election management body.
The Gabon government had blocked internet access and imposed a curfew on Saturday after the election which was marked by major voting delays.
The opposition cried foul over the poll, which they hoped would halt President Ali Bongo’s bid to extend his family’s 56-year grip on power.
The outcome of the election heightened tensions, forcing the military to intervene.
“We have decided to defend peace by putting an end to the current regime,” one of the soldiers said during the declaration.
This, he added, was down to “irresponsible, unpredictable governance resulting in a continuing deterioration in social cohesion that risks leading the country into chaos”.
President Bongo is partially paralysed and was reported to have wet himself at a public gathering of African leaders in Paris a year ago.
TNG reports the military takeover in Gabon adds to a growing list of military regimes in Africa.
Countries currently under military rule are Gabon, Niger Republic, Mali, Burkina Faso, Sudan, Guinea, and Chad.
The military takeovers have followed a similar pattern: The coup leaders accuse the government of failing to meet the people’s expectations in delivering dividends of democracy.
Meanwhile, sounds of gunfire have been heard in the capital, Libreville, following the military take over.
