Answer to a Question
The Gabon Coup
Question:
A group of officers from the army, the presidential guard, and security forces in Gabon announced on 2023/8/30 that they had seized power, placing Gabonese President Ali Bongo under house arrest hours after the electoral commission declared him the winner of a third term. They announced the cancellation of the election results, the dissolution of state institutions, and the closure of borders until further notice. The commander of the presidential guard, Nguema, was appointed as the transitional president of the country. What is the secret behind this coup? And what is its relationship to the international conflict in the region?
Answer:
To clarify the answer regarding this coup, we review the following matters:
1- Gabon is a country located in West-Central Africa overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. It was occupied by French colonialists in 1885 and granted nominal independence in 1960. It is noted that there is a French military base in the capital, Libreville, housing about 1,000 French soldiers who oversee the protection of French interests and ensure the sustainability of French influence in the country. The population is small, about 2.3 million according to 2022 statistics, relative to the country's area of approximately 270,000 km². The percentage of Muslims is small as per statistics, including the deposed president and the new transitional president, with the ratio being between 10% and 12%, most of whom live in Libreville. The country is rich in natural resources; it is considered the world's second-largest producer of manganese, used in the steel, iron, and battery industries, alongside large quantities of gold, diamonds, and uranium. It also possesses huge reserves of oil and gas, which is why it is a member of OPEC. The lion's share of these riches is seized by French companies, numbering about 110 according to the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs website, including the French mining company Eramet, which extracts manganese, and the French energy company Total, which extracts oil and gas. Gabon, like Niger, Mali, Senegal, and Chad, is one of the fourteen countries whose currency is linked to the French currency under the name of the CFA Franc, which is linked to the Euro, serving the interests of France and the European Union. Its income is transferred to the French Central Bank, forming part of the French currency reserves, and France then gives them crumbs. Thus, its people have become poor while France steals their wealth. People in these countries are demanding to break this link, transfer funds to the banks of their African countries, and distribute the wealth among themselves.
2- The deposed president, Ali Bongo, took power in sham elections in 2009 after the death of his father, Omar Bongo, who presided over the country for about 41 years. The son inherited agency (amala) to France from his father and announced his victory in the 2016 elections. He was not entitled to run for a third term according to the Gabonese constitution, but he reached an agreement with other parties to run, and these parties agreed. The results of the elections held on 2023/8/26 showed Ali Bongo winning with 64.27%. On the day these results were announced, a group of officers from the presidential guard, the army, and security forces carried out a coup against the president and placed him under house arrest. The group said in its first statement, read by a colonel from the presidential palace via the "Gabon 24" channel: "We, the defense and security forces gathered within the Committee for the Transition and Restoration of Institutions, have decided, in the name of the Gabonese people, to defend peace by ending the existing regime. To this end, the presidential elections held on 2023/8/26 and their results are canceled." The spokesperson for the officers, while announcing the end of the existing regime, stated that "Noureddin Bongo, the president's son and close advisor, has been arrested, along with his chief of staff and his deputy, several of his advisors, the presidency spokesperson, and two other important men from the ruling Gabonese Democratic Party led by President Ali Bongo, on charges of high treason against state institutions, embezzlement of public funds, international financial embezzlement within an organized gang, forging the president's signature, corruption, and drug trafficking." It appears that the coup was orchestrated by all the military forces in the country, and given that the military milieu is controlled by France, the fingers of blame point toward it.
3- On the other hand, after his removal, President Ali Bongo sent a message via social media from his home, appearing anxious, saying: ("I am Ali Bongo Ondimba, President of Gabon. I send a message to all our friends all over the world to ask them to raise their voices regarding the people who arrested me and my family"... Sky News Arabia 2023/8/30). No party paid him any attention—neither France, nor America, nor the African Union—and no one contacted him as happened with Nigerien President Mohamed Bazoum. Rather, French newspapers focused on the coup leader as if they were polishing his image and granting him the right to the coup. The French newspaper Le Monde reported on 2023/8/30 that the coup leader and commander of the Republican Guard in Gabon, Brice Oligui Nguema, said: "President Ali Bongo violated the constitution, and he does not have the right to run for a third term, and the voting method itself was not good; therefore, the army decided to assume its responsibilities. Ali Bongo is now a retired head of state and enjoys all his rights like any citizen." It is noteworthy that the commander of the presidential guard, Nguema, was close to President Ali Bongo and is his cousin, just as he was close to his father, Omar Bongo, and served as his special advisor until his death. He returned to the country after serving as a military attaché at his country's embassy in Senegal and Morocco after Ali Bongo suffered a stroke in October 2018 that incapacitated him for about 10 months. He had been sent abroad for two years, then was brought back and appointed as head of the presidential guard, which means the party he is loyal to wanted him to return to prepare for the post-paralyzed president phase. The opposition presidential candidate, Albert Ondo Ossa, said in a statement to the French channel "TV5 Monde" on 2023/8/31: "We must put things in context. First, this is not a military coup but a palace revolution. Oligui Nguema is Ali Bongo's cousin... the Bongo camp reached the conviction that Ali Bongo must be removed to preserve the Bongo family regime... Oligui Nguema is a follower, and behind him stands the Bongo family that controls power."
4- As for the official French position, the BBC reported on 2023/8/30 the statements of French officials: (French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne said "Paris is following the situation in Gabon closely," and an Elysee source said "Paris clearly condemns the Gabon coup, President Macron has not contacted President Bongo, and France hopes for a quick return to the constitutional order in Gabon, but it does not interfere in the internal political affairs of this country. The solution is not through a military coup but through free and fair elections that guarantee the aspirations of the Gabonese people"). While this position appears to condemn the coup, it is a supportive position. The condemnation came to keep up with public opinion against military coups, because the French President's actions confirm that the condemnation is not serious. He did not communicate with the deposed president as he did with the Nigerien president, nor did he personally condemn the coup, nor did he threaten or demand intervention as he did toward Niger; he considered the matter internal and not requiring intervention. This is different from his attempt to interfere in the internal affairs of Niger, his refusal to recognize the coup plotters there, and his refusal of their request for the French ambassador to leave Niger. Macron's statement that the solution lies in free and fair elections provides a justification and support for the coup plotters. It is likely that France is behind this coup, especially since Gabon is a vital source for it. Radio France Internationale (RFI) quoted Caroline Roussy, director of research at the Institute of International and Strategic Relations (IRIS) in Paris, on 2023/8/31: "France without Gabon is like a car without fuel, and Gabon without France is like a car without a driver."
5- The position of the European Union confirms that France was behind this coup. The EU's foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, stated on the sidelines of the meeting of EU foreign ministers in Toledo, Spain, on 2023/8/31: ("What is happening in Gabon cannot be compared to what is happening in Niger," considering that the military in Libreville intervened after the deposed president Ali Bongo won an election marred by irregularities. He added, "Military coups are not the solution, but we must not forget that elections full of irregularities took place in Gabon. A fraudulent vote can be considered a civilian institutional coup." He said, "There are military coups and institutional ones," and stated "There is no plan to evacuate EU citizens from the African country"... Asharq Al-Awsat, Al-Mayadeen 2023/8/31). He justifies the coup that took place in Gabon; in fact, he supports it because forgery occurred, which he had not protested before! It appears that the European official did not initially know the nature of the coup, which is why he said immediately following it: ("The Union ministers will discuss the situation in Gabon and that what is happening in West Africa is a big problem for Europe. If it (the coup) is confirmed, it will be another military coup that increases instability in the entire region"... Al Jazeera, 2023/8/30). But when he met a day later with EU ministers, including the French Foreign Minister, he learned the truth that this coup was for Europe's account and does not increase its instability! So he went and changed his statements!
6- There is popular rejection of France in Gabon and in other African countries. French President Macron had visited several African countries months ago, and he witnessed the cursing of French colonialism and the rejection of France. Macron arrived in Gabon on 2023/3/2, and people attacked him and accused him of supporting Bongo's regime and its corruption. Macron acknowledged the growing resentment toward France and called for building a new, balanced, reciprocal, and responsible relationship with Africa. People, especially the younger generation, see the presence of French forces under the pretext of fighting terrorism as an embodiment of a colonial legacy and call for a new independence. It appears that France carried out this coup to maintain its influence and interests in light of the coups that occurred in the region in Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger. It wants to consolidate its influence through a military leader similar to the coup leaders in those countries, so that he is of their kind—a military coup leader—standing against them for France's account to preserve its interests, or perhaps to infiltrate them to disrupt them after they allied against France and its intervention attempts. Knowing that Ali Bongo is ill and suffered a stroke that incapacitated him for 10 months, and it is rumored that he does not fully enjoy his mental and physical capabilities, France wants to replace him with another agent from the same family. It appears that his inner circle arrested by the coup plotters were the ones controlling affairs, led by his son Noureddin Bongo; they are accused by the people, and thus the coup plotters can deceive the people and appear as saviors.
7- As for the American position regarding the Gabon coup, Al Jazeera's page on 2023/8/30 quoted a White House spokesperson: "We are following closely, what is happening is a matter of concern. We will continue to focus on working with our African partners and the peoples of the continent to help support democracy." The page also cited statements by the US Representative to the UN, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, where she said: "The United States condemns the coup in Gabon and any attempts by the military to seize power by force... and consultations are being held with Security Council members regarding the Gabon coup, and we will not move before verifying what is happening." A US military official told Al Jazeera: "The US administration is aware of developments in Gabon and is monitoring closely, and it has no military presence in Gabon except for the forces assigned to protect its embassy there." US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said: ("The United States is deeply concerned by the development of events in Gabon and we remain strongly opposed to military seizure or the unconstitutional transfer of power"... BBC 2023/8/30). This is contrary to America's position regarding Niger, which we detailed in a "Question & Answer" issued on 2023/8/15. The reality in Gabon, where France controls all political, economic, and military circles, is that America has not been able to penetrate it so far. This is different from Niger, where it managed to enter via Mohamed Bazoum and his predecessor Mahamadou Issoufou since the 2010 coup. The Gabon coup leader, Nguema, graduated from a military college in Meknes, Morocco, away from American influence, and returned to work as a special advisor to the late President Omar Bongo until his death; he and the deposed president Ali Bongo are cousins as mentioned. Nevertheless, it does not appear that the opposition and its candidate are among its helpers or agents; rather, he appears to be within the circle of French agents, as America did not announce its support for the opposition candidate Albert Ondo Ossa, but rather demanded support for democracy and strongly condemned the coup.
8- Thus we see in Gabon, as in all the subordinate countries in Africa and Asia, agents who boast of democracy, freedom, nationalism, and patriotism, securing the interests of the colonialist countries in exchange for reaching power or staying in it. They do not care about being servants to the colonialist, nor that the companies of the colonialist states plunder their country's wealth. They settle for obtaining a commission from these companies that plunder their country's riches, leaving their people to suffer poverty, hunger, and disease; indeed, they resort to imposing taxes on their citizens to support their budget, which they quickly empty on their luxury. There is no salvation for the people in Gabon and elsewhere except by toppling these agents and sweeping them away from the political milieu and all other circles, then having sincere belief in the Creator of the universe, Allah, the Powerful, the Mighty, and applying His Law (Shari'ah) in the state of truth and justice, the Rightly Guided Caliphate (Khilafah Rashidah). Then the people of Gabon will live in security, safety, goodness, and peace, as will everyone who seeks shade under Islam, the religion of truth, guidance, and mercy.
يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ قَدْ جَاءَتْكُمْ مَوْعِظَةٌ مِنْ رَبِّكُمْ وَشِفَاءٌ لِمَا فِي الصُّدُورِ وَهُدًى وَرَحْمَةٌ لِلْمُؤْمِنِينَ
"O mankind, there has to come to you instruction from your Lord and healing for what is in the breasts and guidance and mercy for the believers." (QS Yunus [10]: 57)
20th of Safar Al-Khayr 1445 AH 2023/9/5 CE