Gabon coup attempt follows military takeovers in former French colonies in Africa

A group of senior military officers in Gabon announced on national television on Wednesday they had taken power and election results were annulled, just minutes after President Ali Bongo was declared to have won a third term. If successful the coup would represent the eighth since 2020 in West and Central Africa, a region that in the last decade had made strides to shed its reputation as a « coup belt », only for persistent insecurity and corruption to open the door to military leaders.