The military officers in Gabon on Wednesday announced their assumption of power in the Central African country through a coup d’etat.

The military leaders who made this known in a broadcast on National Television in Gabon said they are annulling the results of Saturday’s election, in which President Ali Bongo was declared the winner.

Twelve soldiers appeared on television on Wednesday, announcing they were canceling the results of the election and dissolving “all the institutions of the republic”.

They also said the country’s borders had been closed “until further notice”.

It would be recalled that the electoral commission declared Mr Bongo the winner of the presidential election just under two-thirds of the votes in an election the opposition argued was fraudulent.

One of the soldiers said on TV channel Gabon 24, “We have decided to defend the peace by putting an end to the regime in power,” the soldiers who identified themselves as CTRI (The Committee of Transition and Restoration of Institutions) members claimed.

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According to the electoral commission, Albert Ondo Ossa, Bongo’s primary rival, placed second with 30.77%. Ondo Ossa’s charges of electoral irregularities have been refuted by Bongo’s team.

His removal from office would end his family’s 53-year rule of Gabon.

Details Later…