Ester Mbomio
Minutes after the proclamation of the official results of Gabon’s presidential, legislative and municipal elections early Wednesday morning, in which incumbent President Ali Bongo, in power since 2009, won a third term in office by winning 64.27% of the vote, a group composed of a dozen military personnel appeared on public television Gabon24.
In the name of a “Committee for the Transition and the Restoration of Institutions”, they announced the dissolution of “all the institutions of the Republic: the Government, the Senate, the National Assembly and the Constitutional Court” and the closure of borders “until further notice”, claiming that this measure aims to “defend peace by putting an end to the current regime”.
This military takeover comes barely a month after the coup in Niger on 26 July, preceded by Mali, Guinea, Sudan and Burkina Faso. The military action in Gabon concluded with an appeal to the population to remain calm, reaffirming its determination to fulfil Gabon’s commitments to the international community.
Spain’s role
Spain has maintained a detachment in Gabon since 2014 that provides air support to French and European Union military operations in the Central African Republic. The initial mission (Operation A/C) is part of United Nations Security Council Resolution 2122 (2013), which approved the International Mission in Support of the Central African Republic (MINUSCA).
The Air Force’s “Mamba Detachment”, based in Libreville (Gabon), is made up of 45 military personnel working in three-month rotations. It uses a C-295 aircraft and has carried out transport missions for Operation Barkhane and the UN Mission MINUSCA, as well as supporting the European Union Training Mission in the Central African Republic (EUTM-RCA) as a demonstration of Spain’s commitment to contribute to peace-building processes and the protection of human rights in conflict zones.
The 45 Spanish military personnel deployed in Gabon “are well and safely located in secure areas”, according to sources from the Spanish Ministry of Defence.
