Gabon Government Says It Quashed Coup by Army Mutineers
- Soldiers seized state TV urging young Gabonese to join them
- Ailing president has been in Morocco for more than two months
This article is for subscribers only.
Gabonese authorities said they put down an attempted coup by a group of mutineering soldiers who’d seized control of the national broadcaster and vowed to “save a democracy in danger.”
Communications Minister Guy-Bertrand Mapangou told Radio France Internationale on Monday that order had been restored, and the capital, Libreville, was largely quiet. His statement came hours after army Lieutenant Ondo Obiang Kelly read a statement on state TV saying young army officers were disappointed with a speech by President Ali Bongo on Dec. 31 that he broadcast from Morocco, where he’s been convalescing for two months after a stroke.