Five days after seizing control of the government in a coup, Gen. Brice Nguema, the new military leader of Gabon, was sworn in as the nation’s caretaker president on Monday.
In front of jubilant spectators, the swearing-in event was held in the presidential palace in Libreville, the nation’s capital.
Following the military’s ouster of President Ali Bongo from the long-reigning Bongo family on August 30, Nguema promised on Saturday to further democratic reforms.
Nguema declared on state television that the suspension of all state institutions was only a temporary measure and did not outline any specific actions or a timeline for new elections.
The borders of Gabon had been reopened immediately, a putschist spokesman later claimed.
Following the putsch on August 30, the military first shut down all land, sea, and air borders. The president’s bodyguard chief, Nguema, was then proclaimed the new leader.
According to official results that the putschists later nullified after concluding that they were rigged, Bongo had been elected for a third term four days earlier.
Long accused of corruption, the Bongo family has presided autocratically over the country for more than 50 years.
Despite the country’s wealth in oil, the majority of Gabon’s 2.3 million inhabitants live in poverty.
