A group of 12 Gabonese soldiers had announced on Wednesday that the country’s borders were closed until further notice, in a statement broadcast on the Gabon 24 television channel, according to France 24.
General Brice Oligui Nguema, the head of the elite Republican Guard, on Wednesday, led officers in a coup against President Ali Bongo Ondimba, scion of a family that had ruled for 55 years.
His ousting came just moments after Bongo, 64, was proclaimed victor in presidential elections at the weekend — a result branded a fraud by the opposition.
The coup leaders said they had dissolved the nation’s institutions and canceled the election results as well as closing the borders.
Oligui is due on Monday to be sworn in as “transitional president”.
MNA/PR