Gabon Coup: Bongo under house arrest, begs for help as army takes power

1. Senior military officers in Gabon have appeared on national TV to say they have seized power and placed President Ali Bongo under house arrest.
2. They also announced they were annulling the results of an election on Saturday, in which President Bongo was declared the winner.
3. The officers also said they were dissolving all state institutions, and that the country’s borders were shut.
4. In a later appearance, they nominated the head of the presidential guard as the leader of the transition.
5. Bongo’s overthrow would end his family’s 56-year hold on power in the resource-rich West African country.
6. This would be the eighth coup in former French colonies in Africa in the past three years; France has condemned the latest events.

Source: BBC