It was reported on Monday that a coup went south as the chief military rebel was arrested with two of his most trusted commandos losing their lives as they stormed a public radio station.
In the early hours of Monday, shots were fired in the air near the radio station in the centre of Libreville, the capital of the oil rich nation and military vehicles were used to block people from having access to the site. The soldiers stormed into the radio station to make a broadcast at around 4:30am. The aim of the broadcast was to call on the people of Gabon to rebel against their sick president, Ali Bongo who has been receiving treatment in Morocco. He has been hospitalised since October.
A viral video making the rounds on social media showed the soldiers who referred to themselves as THE PATRIOTIC MOVEMENT OF THE DEFENCE AND SECURITY FORCES OF GABON. They were dressed in their customary camouflaged uniforms with green berets as their leader in person of Lieutenant Kelly Ondo Obiang read out a statement saying ” If you are eating, stop; if you are having a drink, stop; if you are sleeping, wake up. Wake your neighbours, rise up and take control of the streets”.
The African Union and France, who is their colonial master have both frowned at the botched military takeover.