After yet another military coup in an African country that used to be a French colony, a veteran activist Franck Jocktane from Gabon explained to Sputnik why many people in his country welcomed the change, and why anti-French sentiment did not arise there as it did in neighboring nations such as Niger following similar coups.
Pleasant Surprise
As soon as the Gabonese electoral commission declared Ali Bongo the winner of the presidential election held in late August, Franck Jocktane began to discuss with fellow activists their next steps for opposing the strongman leader whose family had been ruling Gabon for over half a century.
As someone who stood against Bongo's presidency when he took over the country after his father's death in 2009, Jocktane organized and took part in a number of protests against the head of state when he secured a second term in office in 2016.
However, before Jocktane and his friends could come up with any specific plans for new protests, the news of a military coup taking place in Gabon and ousting Bongo as president caught the activists by surprise.
"Personally, I didn't know [the military coup would happen]. I think the majority of Gabonese also didn't know. That's because 30 minutes after they declared that he [Bongo] won the elections, the coup took place. The coup was quick. People didn't even have the time to go into the streets and protest against the president. He was already gone. There was a strong element of surprise," the activist told Sputnik.
Instead of protesting, the Gabonese who opposed Bongo came out onto the streets to celebrate after the military coup.
"When people went into the streets, they went there to rejoice. Some of the people I know said they would be willing to fight for their vote, even if it meant death. They were willing to go that route because they were tired of seeing the elections being stolen. That's why I think people welcomed the military coup. They were in the streets rejoicing and celebrating. That's why the whole world had difficulty condemning the coup because people [in Gabon] embraced it," Jocktane added.
Nevertheless, the activist believes that the writing was on the wall for the ousted president in Gabon.
"We knew something was going to happen. The truth of the matter is that the president of Gabon [Bongo] had two strokes in 2018. He was not doing very well and his health was weakened. There was a sense in the country that he was not leading anything. As a matter of fact, people were using his name and his signature to do things," he noted.
The military in Gabon took advantage of Bongo's weakness to depose him, the activist underlined.
"I think the military warned that government that they were going the wrong way. I think that when it was the moment to take action, the military took advantage of the power vacuum and did it. It is important for us to notice that the branch of the army that deposed the president is the part of the army that is supposed to protect the president. They knew exactly where he was and they knew everything about his movements. That's why it [the coup] was peaceful. There was no gunfire or anything. All they did was to take his power away and transfer the power to someone else," he said.
No Anti-French Sentiment
In response to a similar military coup in Niger in July, France stood firmly behind the ousted president and even threatened to take military action against the new leaders in the country.
The possibility of military intervention from France also triggered mass protests in Niger where local residents expressed strong anti-French sentiment. In sharp contrast with the situation, France's response to the military coup in Gabon was completely different.
"It looks like they [France] welcome it [the military coup in Gabon]. It's interesting that France's responses to what happened in Gabon and what happened in Niger were two different postures. After the coup took place in Gabon, the French ambassador was received by the new man in power in Gabon. I don't know what they said to each other. But I think he reassured [Paris] that the coup wouldn't change the treaties we had with France. While in Niger, Burkina Faso and Mali, they [the new leaders after the coup] did say they want to change everything that they had with the French government. That's the major difference," Jocktane said.
Following similar military coups that took place in Burkina Faso in 2022 and Mali in 2021, the new military leaders in both countries expressed strong anti-French views after taking power and voided previous military cooperation agreements with France.
The military leaders in Niger, Burkina Faso and Mali went as far as signing a new security pact last week.
The foreign policy under Bongo in Gabon could help explain why he did not receive the same kind of strong support from France as the ousted president in Niger did, Jocktane noted.
"His [Bongo's] father worked closely with France. That's why he [the father] was able to stay in power for over 42 years. The son [Bongo] also did a lot of things with France. But I think he realized very quickly that he needed to expand to other partners. That's why he introduced Gabon to the Commonwealth. That's why Gabon found itself in a very strange position. Gabon is a member of the Francophone because we were colonized by the French. But Gabon is also under the Commonwealth. For Gabon to go under the Commonwealth and to be under the British, I think France didn't appreciate that," he stressed.
In addition to former president Bongo's lack of support from France, the French military presence in Gabon also played a different role compared to the situation in Niger, Burkina Faso or Mali.
"I believe, in Niger, you could see the presence of French soldiers. But in Gabon, even though we have French military bases, French soldiers do not come out as much in the streets. We don't feel like we're being occupied like what happened in Niger, Burkina Faso and Mali. I think, in Mali, there were some places people couldn't go, because the French army was there. I think that's what triggered many people in Mali. But in Gabon, we do not have that. That's why the majority of people in Gabon don't really care about the French military's presence," Jocktane explained.
Under the name of counterterrorism operations, the French military played active roles and carried out combat missions in Niger, Burkina Faso and Mali. Following military coups in these three countries, the new leaders all demanded that France withdraw its troops.
Since Gabon did not face similar threats from terrorist groups, the French military was not involved in the same sort of activities in that country as it was in Niger, Burkina Faso and Mali.
No Legitimacy
As a veteran activist fighting against the president whose family had ruled Gabon for over 56 years, Jocktane was not able to return to his home country to visit his family after 2013.
"Because I became very vocal after 2016, everybody was telling me that it wasn't wise to go to Gabon. That's why I hadn't visited Gabon in the past ten years. I have a Gabonese friend who was also an American citizen. He was jailed for more than six years before being released," he revealed.
Thanks to the political changes brought on by the military coup, Jocktane finally has a chance to visit his family in Gabon.
"Now, I'm on my way to go to Gabon next month in October. It'll be the end of October for two weeks. I'll attend the wedding of the sister of my wife. The new president of Gabon said that every Gabonese, no matter what they did in the past, is allowed to come to the country. I will take him at his word and I will go," he highlighted.
Nevertheless, as a pro-democracy activist, Jocktane understands the long road ahead before true freedom can be celebrated in Gabon.
"The one who took power through the coup was not elected by the people. The fact that he was not elected by the people, for me, he's a leader, but he doesn't really have legitimacy. Therefore, I pray that he will be humble enough to do what is right by the people. The good news is that he already said that he's there for transition. He already gave a timetable that he would be there for two years. After two years, we will have elections and the Gabonese people will be free to elect whoever they want to vote for," he concluded.
The activist warned that if the new military leader in Gabon failed to uphold his promises in two years' time, there would be political turbulence in the country once again.
On August 30, Ondimba, the president of Gabon since 2009, was re-elected for a third term after securing 64.2% of the vote. The Gabonese military then ousted Ondimba in a coup, declaring the election results canceled and all institutions dissolved. The military has promised to gradually build transitional institutions, with Gabon fulfilling all its domestic and international obligations.
On July 26, a coup took place in Niger Bazoum was ousted and detained by Gen. Abdourahmane Tchiani. In late August, Tchiani announced plans to return the country to civilian rule within three years.