Several reactions have trailed the military coup in Gabon days after the Gabonese President, Ali Bongo, won the presidential election.
While Nigeria’s president, Bola Tinubu and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) are still busy exploring every possible means to restore democracy in Niger Republic, the soldiers in Gabon had something different in mind.
The Soldiers had appeared on Gabonese national television to announce that they had taken power.
Military Takeover
The military also announced the annulment of Saturday’s election and the dissolution of democratic institutions.
Speaking on Gabon 1 and Gabon 24, the military spokesman said he spoke on behalf of the “Committee for the Transition and Restoration of Institutions”.
Did You Miss? Reactions Trail Military Takeover In Gabon
Not so much is said about the ousted leader, but here are 10 things you probably didn’t know about Ali Bongo.
1. Ali Bongo was born ‘Alain Bernard Bongo’ in neighbouring Congo-Brazzaville in February 1959.
2. His father, Omar Bongo, was president of Gabon from 1967 until he died in 2009.
3. He was Minister of Foreign Affairs from 1989 to 1991 during his father’s presidency.
4. Ali won the 2009 Gabonese presidential election after his father’s death.
5. He was reelected in 2016 in elections marred by numerous irregularities, arrests, human rights violations and post-election protests and violence.
6. He studied at a private school in Neuilly, France, and then studied law at the Sorbonne.
7. He is a musician. In 1977, he released a funk album, ‘A Brand New Man’, produced by Charles Bobbit.
8. In 1989, Ali Bongo married his first wife, a French-born, Sylvia Valentin.
9. In 1994, the ousted Gabon leader married his second American wife, Inge Lynn Collins Bongo, from Los Angeles, California.
At the time of Ali Bongo’s election as president, Inge Bongo was living on food stamps in California, and she later filed for divorce in 2015.
10. Ali Bongo has four children.
