Situation in Gabon

Developments in Gabon Show Africa is Tired of West, Expert Says

© AFP 2023Жители Габона празднуют на улицах в Либревиле после объявления свержения режима
Жители Габона празднуют на улицах в Либревиле после объявления свержения режима - Sputnik Africa, 1920, 30.08.2023
Subscribe
On Wednesday, Ali Bongo Ondimba, the president of Gabon, was re-elected to lead the country for a third term with 64.2% of the vote. The country's military then delivered a televised address announcing the annulment of the election results and the dissolution of all state institutions.
Armin-Paul Hampel, a German politician for the party Alternative for Germany (AfD) and a former member of the Bundestag, the German parliament, has said that the situation in Gabon are a serious blow to France and show that African countries are tired of the West's policies.
"This is a terrible blow for France, which has managed to maintain its influence in West Africa since colonial times, after Mali, Burkina Faso, Guinea and finally Niger, Gabon is abandoning the established French system that kept West Africa in the orbit of the Western powers," Hampel told Sputnik.
The German politician noted that the current coup in the Central African country shows how tired the African continent is of Western support for dictators.
Residents applaud members of the security forces in the Plein Ciel district Libreville on August 30, 2023 after a group of Gabonese military officers appeared on television announcing they were putting an end to the current regime and scrapping official election results that had handed another term to veteran President Ali Bongo Ondimba. - Sputnik Africa, 1920, 30.08.2023
Situation in Gabon
Gabonese People Were Not Surprised By Military Takeover, Politician Tells Sputnik
Hampel ruled out that the wave of military coups in Africa would spread to other former French colonies such as Cote d'Ivoire, Cameroon and Senegal, but stressed that the influence of Russia and China in the region would increase.

He argued that unlike European countries, Moscow and Beijing do not impose political narratives on African countries, such as "Western values and human rights".

On the other hand, he believes that Western countries will not be able to conduct a military intervention in Africa because it will be perceived as a new colonial war.
Earlier in the day, the Gabonese military, in a televised address, announced the annulment of the results of the recent presidential elections won by President Ali Bongo Ondimba for a third term, the dissolution of all state institutions and the closure of the country's borders.
The Gabonese military leaders confirmed that they would "put an end to the current regime in the country" and promised to respect the country's obligations to the international community.
Newsfeed
0