Gabon coup leader meets regional envoy, opposition after inauguration

Gabon's new military leader has started to give amnesty to dissidents and has met central Africa's mediator for the country, following last week's coup that brought the curtain down on the 55-year reign of the Bongo dynasty.

Gabon's coup leader, General Brice Oligui Nguema, during a military ceremony in July. © Gabon presidency via AFP

On Tuesday, state televison announced that General Brice Oligui Nguema met the Central African Republic's president, Faustin Archange Touadera, in the aftermath of the 30 August putsch. 

The Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS) appointed Touadera as "facilitator of the political process" in Gabon and tasked him with meeting "all Gabonese actors and partners of the country" with the goal of providing "a rapid return to constitutional order".

Gabon joins Mali, Guinea, Sudan, Burkina Faso and Niger among African countries that have undergone coups in the last three years – a trend that has sounded alarm bells across the continent and beyond.

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However, Tuesday's broadcast gave no details of the discussions, which came a day after ECCAS member Equatorial Guinea announced that Gabon had been suspended from the 11-nation group.

ECCAS also ordered the immediate transfer of its headquarters from the Gabonese capital Libreville to Equatorial Guinea's capital, Malabo, according to the country's vice president, Teodoro Nguema Obiang Mangue on X (formerly Twitter). 

Touadera is expected to meet with ousted president Ali Bongo Ondimba. 

La cuarta cumbre extraordinaria de Jefes de Estado y de gobierno de la CEEAC ha condenado hoy en Djibloho,G.E. El golpe de estado en la República gabonesa y suspendida como estado miembro. Se ha decidido el traslado inmediato de la sede de la CEEAC en Libreville a Malabo, y se ha

— Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mangue (@TeodoroObiang17) September 5, 2023

Elections and amnesties

Oligui, the head of the elite Republican Guard promised to hold "free, transparent and credible elections" to restore civilian rule when he was sworn in on Monday as interim president, but he did not give a timeline.

He also vowed to give amnesty to "prisoners of opinion," a move that was followed on Tuesday by the release of several people, according rights lawyer Anges Kevin Nzigou.

Among those freed was one of his clients, Jean Remy Yama, a 59-year-old teacher and trade unionist, who had been held since June 2022 on charges of embezzling public funds – an accusation the opposition denies.

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Oligui also met with Albert Ondo Ossa, the main opposition candidate in the elections that precipitated the coup.

The meeting on Monday evening marks a further step by Oligui to forge contacts with key figures.