The new military leaders in Gabon announced today, Thursday, that the ousted Gabonese President Ali Bongo Ondimba has been released after being under house arrest since his overthrow last week, and he can begin a medical journey.

Colonel Ulrich Manfoumbi, the spokesperson for the transitional committee, told state television the day before that Ondimba is "free to move due to his health condition… he can, if he wishes, travel abroad for his medical examinations."

The health condition of the ousted president was not immediately clear. He had suffered a stroke in late 2018 that kept him from his duties for several months.

The local television station Gabon 24 aired a meeting on Wednesday evening between Ondimba and Abdou Ba, the head of the United Nations office in Central Africa.

Ba said about his meeting with the ousted president: "I found him in good health."

The 64-year-old president was ousted from power on August 30 amid a rise in coups in parts of Africa and shortly after declaring his victory in a disputed election that would have extended his family's 55-year rule. Ondimba succeeded his father in 2009.

Meanwhile, the new military leader in Gabon, General Brice Clotier Oligui Nguema, met with regional and local authorities this week, promising better infrastructure and a peaceful transition for citizens in the oil-rich Central African nation.

In the capital Libreville, Nguema met with the President of the Central African Republic, Faustin-Archange Touadéra, who was appointed as a special envoy for the Economic Community of Central African States (ECOWAS), and Ba, the head of the United Nations office for Central Africa.

General Nguema wrote about his meeting with Ba on the platform X, formerly known as Twitter, that: "Our discussions focused on the current situation of our nation as well as the promising prospects for the transitional phase."

Concerns remain about military coups and the delayed return of democracies in parts of Africa, where soldiers promised a lengthy transitional process.

The new military leader in Gabon also promised to return power to the people by organizing free, transparent, and credible elections, but he did not set a timeline for the transition.

In Nguema’s meeting this week with senior officials in the Gabonese government, he pledged to provide "real development" for a people whose country’s oil wealth is widely seen as concentrated in the hands of a few. Nearly 40% of Gabonese aged 15 to 24 were unemployed in 2020, according to the World Bank.

He said in a speech broadcast by Gabon 24 that "we want simple things for the Gabonese people," and promised to provide national healthcare and improve education and environmental policy. "But to achieve that, you must first have effective governance."