Washington is halting a number of foreign assistance programs designed to benefit the government of Gabon after last month's coup, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement, describing the coup as an "unconstitutional intervention" by the military.
"The US government is pausing certain foreign assistance programs benefiting the government of Gabon while we evaluate the unconstitutional intervention by members of the country’s military," the statement said.
Blinken added that the decision was taken in line with the initiatives of the Economic Community of Central African States, the African Union and "other international partners".
According to the secretary of state, the US will not cease diplomatic operations in Gabon and will "review the facts on the ground" further.
This is not the first time the US has responded to a change of power in a West African region by cutting aid.
In early August, US authorities suspended "certain foreign aid programs, programs benefiting the government of Niger," in the wake of the West African nation's July coup, where the military took power.
Likewise in 2020, the US decided to cut military aid to Mali after the military takeover in August and announced a refusal to cooperate with the new authorities.
Washington took the same line in response to the 2009 coup in Guinea.
At the same time, the United States recognized Ukraine's new government after a coup in 2014 and began pumping arms into the Kiev regime.