Gabon’s deposed president, Ali Bongo Ondimba, has called on his “friends all over the world to make noise” while under house arrest following a coup in the central African country.
A video from an anonymous source shows Bongo distressed and making a plea for help.
“I’m Ali Bongo Ondimba, President of Gabon and I’m to send a message to all the friends that we have, all over the world to tell them to make noise, to make noise, for the people here have arrested me and my family. My son is somewhere, my wife is in another place and I’m at the residence.
“Right now, I’m under residence (arrest, ed.) and nothing happening, and nothing is happening, I don’t know what… what’s going on. So, I’m calling you to make noise, to make noise, to make noise really. I’m… I’m thanking you, thank you.” Bongo said.
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Military officers announced on Wednesday morning that they were overturning the government in an apparent coup targeting President Ali Bongo Ondimba, who has been in power for 14 years and whose re-election was just announced.
His family has ruled the oil-rich African country for over 55 years.
While the officers made their televised statement announcing the cancellation of the vote results, one of the officers said “all the institutions of the republic had been dissolved.”
The address was read by an officer flanked by a group of a dozen army colonels, members of the elite Republican Guard, regular soldiers, and others.
