The borders of Gabon, which were shut after the military revolution that deposed former president Ali Bongo, will be reopened, according to the country’s army on Saturday.
The military authorities of Gabon said on state television, through Col. Ulrich Manfoumbi Manfoumbi, that they had “decided with immediate effect to reopen the land, sea, and air borders as of this Saturday.”
The twelve army generals from the Gabon army had previously announced the closure of the nation’s borders on Wednesday in a statement that was shown on the Gabon 24 television network.
President Ali Bongo Ondimba, a member of a dynasty that had reigned for 55 years, was overthrown by generals under the command of the elite Republican Guard’s General Brice Oligui Nguema on Wednesday.
His removal happened just after Bongo, 64, was declared the winner of the weekend presidential elections, a decision that the opposition called a fraud.
The leaders of the coup claimed to have closed the borders, dissolved the government, and nullified the election results.
Oligui is scheduled to take the oath of office as “transitional president” on Monday.
In the previous three years, coups have taken place in Mali, Guinea, Sudan, Burkina Faso, and Niger, all of which are African nations. Their new authorities have rejected calls for a quick timeline for going back to the barracks.
cc: Vanguard Ng
