Commonwealth of Nations slaps Gabon with temporary suspension after coup

The Commonwealth of nations has temporarily suspended Gabon after military officers overthrew President Ali Bongo in a coup that ended the reign of one of Africa’s longest serving leaders.

Commonwealth foreign ministers met on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly where they took the decision.

The group, in a statement, said they “strongly condemned the unconstitutional removal of the elected government from office”.

The leaders of the bloc urged Gabon to preserve the Commonwealth’s values and objectives.

They demanded that credible elections be held as soon as possible.

The Commonwealth stated that Gabon was suspended “pending the restoration of democracy.”

Gabon is barred from participating in any Commonwealth intergovernmental meetings and events, including ministerial and heads of government meetings.

Commonwealth ministers gave Gabon’s new authorities two years, starting from August 30, 2023, to organise fair elections.

They warned in the statement that if no progress was made by that time, the country might be kicked out of the group entirely.

Earlier, the Commission of the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS) bloc placed Gabon’s membership on suspension following the military takeover.

The leaders additionally mandated the immediate temporary transfer of the bloc’s headquarters from Gabonese capital Libreville to Equatorial Guinea’s capital Malabo, and “gave the transition a one-year deadline to organize elections.”

Gabon’s military deposed Mr Bongo shortly after he was declared the winner of the presidential election in 2023.

Mr Bongo had been leading the oil-rich country since 2009, when he took over from his father who had ruled the country for 41 years.