EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell emphasized on Thursday that the military coup in Gabon should not be equated with the situation in Niger. He argued that the military’s intervention in Gabon occurred due to concerns about an unfair election following the removal of President Ali Bongo.
Borrell further stated, “Naturally, military coups are not the solution, but we must not forget that in Gabon there had been elections full of irregularities.” He pointed out that a manipulated election outcome could essentially be seen as a civilian “institutional coup.”
Borrell also told reporters on there was no plan to evacuate EU citizens from Gabon for now.