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Military coup in Gabon

French military instructors suspend assistance to Gabon’s army

French Minister of the Armed Forces Sebastien Lecornu warned against equating the situation in Niger, "where the military illegally ousted a democratically elected president"

PARIS, September 1. /TASS/. French military instructors stationed in Gabon have suspended assistance to the country’s army, French Minister of the Armed Forces Sebastien Lecornu said in an interview with the Le Figaro newspaper.

"As for our presence [in Gabon], military officers are stationed there to train Gabonese troops. Their work has been suspended until the political situation is clarified," he said.

The minister warned against equating the situation in Niger, "where the military illegally ousted a democratically elected president," with that in Gabon, where the developments stemmed from "a failure to comply with electoral laws and the constitution." Lecornu also highlighted the need "to give diplomats time to assess what is going on in Gabon and discuss it with their partners."

A group of high-ranking officers in the Gabonese armed forces announced on state television on August 30 that they had taken power in the country. The rebels consist of officers serving in the Central African nation’s security forces, armed forces and police, as well as members of the presidential guard. The rebels canceled the outcome of the August 26 presidential vote that resulted in President Ali Bongo Ondimba’s re-election to a third term in office. The military said that he was under house arrest surrounded by his family and doctors. Republican Guard head General Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema was later named as the country’s transitional leader. He is expected to be sworn in on September 4.

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France Military coup in Gabon

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