Soldiers appeared on Gabonese national television, announcing the cancellation of recent election results and the dissolution of “all the institutions of the republic”.
The apparent coup follows shortly after the national election authority’s announcement on Wednesday that Gabon’s President Ali Bongo Ondimba had been re-elected for a third term.
A soldier appearing on TV channel Gabon 24 said, “We have decided to defend peace by putting an end to the current regime”.
Gunfire is reported in the Gabonese capital, Libreville, according to media reports.
Gabon’s political opposition branded the election a “fraud orchestrated by Ali Bongo and his supporters”.
