Gabon’s new military leader was sworn in as the head of state on Monday, less than a week after ousting the president whose family had ruled the Central African nation for more than five decades.
General Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema took the oath in the presidential palace in front of a packed, boisterous room of government officials as well as military and local leaders in Gabon’s capital Libreville. Oligui, a cousin of the ousted President Ali Bongo Ondimba, served as a bodyguard to his late father and headed the republican guard, an elite military unit.
Speaking to a standing ovation on Monday, Oligui said the military had seized power without bloodshed and promised to return power to the people by organising free, transparent and credible elections.
While the coup was celebrated on the streets of Gabon, it drew condemnation from the African Union and the international community.
Credit: aljazeera.com
