The Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS) has decided to suspend Gabon’s membership until the return of the constitutional order in response to a coup last week, the bloc has said in a communique.
The decision was announced after an extraordinary summit convened in neighboring Equatorial Guinea to discuss the political and security situation in Gabon.
"The Conference decided to suspend, with immediate effect, the participation of the Gabonese Republic in all the activities of the Community, until the return to the constitutional order," the communique read.
The leaders also agreed to shift the group's headquarters temporarily from Gabon to Equatorial Guinea, whose president, Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo will assume the ECCAS chairmanship in place of ousted President Ali Bongo.
Similarly, a day after the coup, the Peace and Security Council of the African Union suspended Gabon's participation in the organization until constitutional order was restored in the country.
On August 30, the military in Gabon said it had dissolved all government institutions and canceled the results of an election that Ali Bongo Ondimba, who had been president since 2009, reportedly won.
Coup leaders chose as 'interim president' General Brice Oligui Nguema, who was 'sworn in' on Monday. Oligui Nguema promised to hold new elections at the end of the transition period and vowed to respect the republican regime in the country.