General Brice Nguema, Gabon’s junta leader is a cousin to Ali Bongo

The newly appointed transitional leader of Gabon, General Brice Nguema according to local media reports, is a cousin to President Ali Bongo who was booted out of office by the military authorities.

On Wednesday morning, some group of officers appeared on the country’s national television to announce that they have officially taken over power from Ali Bongo whose family has held power in Gabon for 55 years.

The take over of power by the junta is coming after official results showed President Ali Bongo won a third term in office following the country’s election on Saturday.

After seizing power, the soldiers subsequently announced a cancellation of the result, and the dissolution of the country’s institutions.

Who is General Nguema?

Mr Nguema was trained at the Royal Military Academy of Meknes in Morocco.

He served as aide-de-camp to a commander in former President Omar Bongo’s Republican Guard until 2009. After taking over the reins of power, Mr Bongo sent him on a diplomatic mission to Morocco and Senegal.

In 2019, Mr Nguema replaced Mr Bongo’s step-brother as head of Gabon’s Republican Guard, an elite force protecting Mr Bongo, his family and other high-profile figures.

In an exclusive interview with France’s LeMonde newspaper, Mr Nguema, when asked if the coup was planned “for a long time” or was triggered by the August 26 election results, he said, “You know that in Gabon there is discontent and, beyond this discontent, there is the illness of the head of state. Everyone talks about it, but no one takes responsibility. He (Mr Bongo) did not have the right to serve a third term. The Constitution was violated, and the method of election itself was not good. So, the army decided to turn the page to take its responsibilities.”

Source: NewsBand

Kalu Idika

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