Shortly afterward, their former ruler appeared in a video message from house arrest appealing for global intervention. It is hard not to notice the opulent interiors behind him, glimmering under the soft but bright yellow lighting.
Image: Gabon President Ali Bongo Ondimba is under house arrest in Libreville. Pic: AP
Image: Gabonese military appear on television as they announce they have seized power. Pic: AP
The Bongo family has held power in Gabon since 1967. The ousted president is the third the country has seen since its independence from France in 1960.
His father Omar Bongo was Gabon’s second president and held power for 42 years until his death in 2009.
The 2009 election that transferred power from father to son was marred in controversy and allegations of fraud. Bongo’s re-election in 2016 was also heavily disputed.
Now, his latest contested victory to secure a third term in office has backfired and broken his winning streak.
Advertisement
As the internet shutdown that marked the elections was lifted in the wake of the coup, videos surfaced of young men celebrating on the streets of Libreville. Residents describe a sense of relief and jubilation – liberation from the Bongo cycle of dominance.
“People feel free from years of living with the Bongos, during COVID and through economic collapse. You can really see how the rich have been getting richer and the poor getting poorer,” says one Libreville resident who has chosen to stay anonymous for her safety.
“Even if you go around Libreville, there are so many people without electricity and water. People are really fed up with the situation and would try to protest, just to say they need water, and the military would stop them right away,” she added.
Image: People celebrate on the streets of Libreville following the coup
Image: Gabon soldiers hold transition leader General Brice Nguema aloft after the coup. Pic: AP
That same military is now posturing as an equalising force for freedom. A junta headed up by none other than Bongo’s cousin and head of the Gabonese presidency’s Republican Guard, Brice Nguema. A man who is facing the same allegations of corruption and money laundering as his cousin.
Many of the coups we are seeing across Africa are driven by internal politics and opportunism – fuelled by power struggles between civilian elite and military elite, and then posturing off public dissatisfaction and poverty.
Whether it is the dynastic coups of the Debys in Chad, the long-time presidential guards in Niger or Omar al-Bashir’s henchmen in Sudan – these military coups cannot be mistaken for people power. They are nothing more than a change of clothing.
Worldwide stock markets have plummeted for the second day running as the fallout from Donald Trump’s global tariffs continues.
While European and Asian markets suffered notable falls, American indexes were the worst hit, with Wall Street closing to a sea of red on Friday following Thursday’s rout – the worst day in US markets since the COVID-19 pandemic.
All three of the US’s major indexes were down by more than 5% at market close; The Dow Jones Industrial Average plummeted 5.5%, the S&P 500 was 5.97% lower, and the Nasdaq Composite slipped 5.82%.
The Nasdaq was also 22% below its record-high set in December, which indicates a bear market.
Ever since the US president announced the tariffs on Wednesday evening, analysts estimate that around $4.9trn (£3.8trn) has been wiped off the value of the global stock market.
More on Donald Trump
Related Topics:
Mr Trump has remained unapologetic as the markets struggle, posting in all-caps on Truth Social before the markets closed that “only the weak will fail”.
The UK’s leading stock market, the FTSE 100, also suffered its worst daily drop in more than five years, closing 4.95% down, a level not seen since March 2020.
And the Japanese exchange Nikkei 225 dropped by 2.75% at end of trading, down 20% from its recent peak in July last year.
Image: US indexes had the worst day of trading since the COVID-19 pandemic. Pic: Reuters
Trump holds trade deal talks – reports
It comes as a source told CNN that Mr Trump has been in discussions with Vietnamese, Indianand Israelirepresentatives to negotiate bespoke trade deals that could alleviate proposed tariffs on those countries before a deadline next week.
The source told the US broadcaster the talks were being held in advance of the reciprocal levies going into effect next week.
Vietnam faced one of the highest reciprocal tariffs announced by the US president this week, with 46% rates on imports. Israeli imports face a 17% rate, and Indian goods will be subject to 26% tariffs.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
China – hit with 34% tariffs on imported goods – has also announced it will issue its own levy of the same rate on US imports.
Mr Trump said China “played it wrong” and “panicked – the one thing they cannot afford to do” in another all-caps Truth Social post earlier on Friday.
Later, on Air Force One, the US president told reporters that “the beauty” of the tariffs is that they allow for negotiations, referencing talks with Chinese company ByteDance on the sale of social media app TikTok.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
6:50
Tariffs: Xi hits back at Trump
He said: “We have a situation with TikTok where China will probably say, ‘We’ll approve a deal, but will you do something on the tariffs?’
“The tariffs give us great power to negotiate. They always have.”
Global financial markets gave a clear vote of no-confidence in President Trump’s economic policy.
The damage it will do is obvious: costs for companies will rise, hitting their earnings.
The consequences will ripple throughout the global economy, with economists now raising their expectations for a recession, not only in the US, but across the world.
The court ruled to uphold the impeachment saying the conservative leader “violated his duty as commander-in-chief by mobilising troops” when he declared martial law.
The president was also said to have taken actions “beyond the powers provided in the constitution”.
Image: Demonstrators stayed overnight near the constitutional court. Pic: AP
Supporters and opponents of the president gathered in their thousands in central Seoul as they awaited the ruling.
The 64-year-old shocked MPs, the public and international allies in early December when he declared martial law, meaning all existing laws regarding civilians were suspended in place of military law.
Image: The court was under heavy police security guard ahead of the announcement. Pic: AP
After suddenly declaring martial law, Mr Yoon sent hundreds of soldiers and police officers to the National Assembly.
He has argued that he sought to maintain order, but some senior military and police officers sent there have told hearings and investigators that Mr Yoon ordered them to drag out politicians to prevent an assembly vote on his decree.
His presidential powers were suspended when the opposition-dominated assembly voted to impeach him on 14 December, accusing him of rebellion.
The unanimous verdict to uphold parliament’s impeachment and remove Mr Yoon from office required the support of at least six of the court’s eight justices.
South Korea must hold a national election within two months to find a new leader.
Lee Jae-myung, leader of the main liberal opposition Democratic Party, is the early favourite to become the country’s next president, according to surveys.