Earlier on Monday, the coup leader Gen. Brice Oligui Nguema was sworn in as transitional president.

He seized power just after Ali Bongo was declared to have won a third term as president. He has not given a time frame for returning the country to civilian rule.

As leaders from central Africa sat around the table and decided to suspend Gabon because of the coup, there may have been a few moments of self-reflection.

Hosting the meeting was Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo who said neighbouring Gabon was a threat to peace, security and stability in the region.

The president of Equatorial Guinea is now 81 and has been in power since 1979.

His family – like that of Ali Bongo in Gabon – has been accused of large-scale looting of state resources and severe oppression of the opposition.

He is possibly not the only African leader who has stayed in power for ages and is a little jumpy at the word “coup”.

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General Brice Oligui Nguema said the country’s state institutions would be made more democratic and their suspension was only “temporary”.

But Gabon’s opposition coalition says the military shows no signs of handing power back to a civilian government.

The deposed president, Ali Bongo, was placed under house arrest this week.

Army officers appeared on state TV in the early hours of Wednesday to say they had seized control, ending the Bongo family’s 55-year hold on power in the central African state.

They said they had annulled the results of Saturday’s presidential election, in which Mr Bongo was declared the winner but which the opposition said was fraudulent.

In a televised address on Friday evening, Gen Nguema said the military would move “quickly but surely” to avoid elections that “repeat the same mistakes” by keeping the same people in power.

“Going as quickly as possible does not mean organising ad hoc elections, where we will end up with the same errors,” he said.

Gabon’s main opposition group, Alternance 2023, which says it is the rightful winner of Saturday’s election, urged the international community on Friday to encourage a return to civilian rule.

“We were happy that Ali Bongo was overthrown but … we hope that the international community will stand up in favour of the Republic and the democratic order in Gabon by asking the military to give back the power to the civilians,” Alexandra Pangha, a spokesperson for Alternance 2023 leader Albert Ondo Ossa, told the BBC.

She added that the plan for Gen Nguema to be sworn in as transitional president on Monday was “absurd”.

The coup in Gabon is the eighth in West and Central Africa since 2020, following Niger, Mali, Guinea, Burkina Faso and Chad.

It has been condemned by the UN, the African Union and France – its former colonial power which had close ties to the Bongo family.

Mr Bongo, who had been in power since 2009, appeared in a video at his home this week calling on his “friends all over the world” to “make noise” on his behalf.

But his removal has also been celebrated by many in Gabon who have grown resentful of his, and his family’s, regime.

Crowds in the capital, Libreville, and elsewhere were seen celebrating the army’s declaration earlier this week.

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The motive behind this sudden reorganization remains uncertain, leading to speculation and debate both within the nation and across social media platforms.

President Biya, at the age of 90, continues to maintain his position as one of Africa’s oldest and longest-serving leaders.

His decision to reshuffle the Ministry of Defence has taken many by surprise, given the typically stable nature of his administration.

The reshuffle, carried out through a presidential decree dated August 30, has seen series of appointments made within the internal and external divisions of the Ministry.

The timing of this move has raised eyebrows, occurring just hours after the Gabonese military takeover.

While no direct connection between the events has been established, citizens have taken to social media, particularly Twitter, to voice their opinions.

Some express scepticism about the motivations behind the changes, while others suggest that the uncertainty in Gabon might have influenced the decision.

Paul Biya, born Paul Barthélemy Biya’a bi Mvondo on February 13, 1933, has held political office in Cameroon for several decades.

He initially rose through the ranks as a bureaucrat under the presidency of Ahmadou Ahidjo during the 1960s. Biya’s ascent culminated in his appointment as President in 1982 after his predecessor’s surprising resignation.

Having maintained his grip on power for over four decades, Biya has overseen various phases of Cameroon’s political landscape. He introduced limited political reforms during a period of one-party rule in the 1980s.

Subsequently, he succumbed to international pressure and permitted the introduction of multiparty politics in the early 1990s.

Throughout his presidency, Biya has faced allegations of electoral irregularities and fraud, particularly during election cycles. The 1992 presidential election, which he purportedly won with 40% of the vote, has been contested by opposition politicians and foreign governments alike.

Similar controversies surrounded his subsequent victories in 1997, 2004, 2011, and 2018, with various sources alleging widespread fraudulent practices.

As Cameroon absorbs the recent changes in its military leadership, analysts and observers are closely watching for potential implications both domestically and regionally.

The unanticipated reorganization underlines the ongoing challenges associated with political stability and governance in the region, raising questions about the trajectory of Biya’s presidency and its impact on the nation’s future.

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Soldiers also said one of the leader’s sons was under arrest for “treason”.

They added that they had put forward the head of the presidential guard as the leader of the transition.

In an earlier TV appearance, soldiers said they were cancelling the result of the election which saw President Bongo – whose family has been in power for more than half a century.

Former colonial power France has voiced its concern over the situation, as have China and Russia – countries which both have modern-day influence in central and west Africa.

If confirmed, this would be the eighth coup in former French colonies in Africa in the past three years.

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