A spokesman for the army in Gabon announced that the borders reopened today, Saturday, September 2, 2023, after being closed for three days during a military coup that ousted the country's president, Ali Bongo.

Military officers led by General Brice Oligui Nguema seized power on Wednesday, placing Bongo under house arrest and appointing Nguema as president, thus ending the Bongo family's 56-year hold on power.

The coup leaders are also facing international pressure to restore civilian government, but they said last night that they would not rush to hold elections.

The army spokesman said on official television that the land, sea, and air borders were reopened because the military council is "concerned with maintaining respect for the rule of law and good relations with our neighbors and all the countries of the world" and wants to uphold its "international commitments."

Bongo was elected in 2009, succeeding his late father, Omar, who came to power in 1967. Opponents say the family has done little to ensure that citizens benefit from Gabon's oil and mineral wealth.

The power grab in Gabon follows coups in Guinea, Chad, and Niger, as well as two coups each in Mali and Burkina Faso since 2020, raising concerns among international powers with strategic interests in the region.