Gabon coup foiled, two plotters dead

LIBREVILLE: Gabon foiled an attempted military coup yesterday, killing two suspected plotters and capturing seven others just hours after they took over state radio in a bid to end 50 years of rule by President Ali Bongo’s family.

Government spokesman GuyBertrand Mapangou announced the deaths and arrests after sol diers briefly seized the radio station and broadcast a message saying Bongo was no longer fit for office, after suffering a stroke in Saudi Arabia in October.

The quick failure of the coup and the lack of widespread support suggested further efforts to overthrow Bongo were unlikely, analysts said.

But the attempt alone shows a growing frustration with a government weakened by the president’s secretive medical leave.

On December 31, in one of his first television appearances since the stroke, Bongo (59) slurred his speech and appeared unable to move his right arm. It is unclear if he is able to walk. He has been in Morocco since November to continue treatment. The Bongo family has ruled the oilproducing country since 1967. Bongo has been president since succeeding his father, Omar, who died in 2009. His reelection in 2016 was marred by claims of fraud and violent protest.

The international community condemned the coup attempt, including former colonial ruler France.