President Ali Bongo of Gabon has appeared in a video urging his “friends” to “raise their voices” following a coup executed by military officers in the oil-rich central African nation.
“I’m sending a message to all friends that we have all over the world to tell them to make noise for… the people here who arrested me and my family,” he said in English, in the clip posted on social media.
Bongo, aged 64, whose family has governed Gabon for more than 55 years, has been placed under house arrest, and one of his sons has been apprehended for treason, as declared by the leaders of the coup.
Bongo, who appeared in the recording seated and visibly concerned, conveyed that his son was situated in one location, while his wife was “in a another place.”
“I’m at the residence and nothing is happening, I don’t know what’s going on, I’m calling (on) you to make noise,” he said.
Previously, a military spokesperson announced that Noureddin Bongo Valentin, Bongo’s son and trusted advisor, along with Ian Ghislain Ngoulou, the chief of staff, and the deputy chief of staff, as well as two additional presidential advisors, along with the highest-ranking officials from the ruling Gabonese Democratic Party (PDG), had all been taken into custody.
They are facing allegations of treason, embezzlement, corruption, and falsification of the president’s signature, among other charges, the spokesperson explained.
China has appealed for the assurance of Bongo’s safety, and France, the former colonial authority, has expressed its vigilant observation of the situation in Gabon with the utmost concern.