The coup ended 56 years of Bongo family rule in Gabon and was the eighth successful coup in West and Central Africa since 2020.
Key Facts
- Date of coup
- 30 August 2023
- Coup leader
- Brice Oligui Nguema
- Ousted president
- Ali Bongo
- Duration of Bongo family rule
- 56 years
- Coups in region since 2020
- 8 (including this)
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Ali Bongo was announced as the winner of the general election held on 26 August 2023, a result that the military disputed. The Bongo family had governed Gabon for 56 years through a father-and-son succession between Omar and Ali Bongo, creating conditions of concentrated political power that ultimately precipitated a military intervention.
On 30 August 2023, the Gabonese Republican Guard staged a coup d'état, led by Brice Oligui Nguema, a senior military officer and cousin of Ali Bongo. The coup occurred shortly after election results were announced and has been characterised by some observers as a palace coup given the familial relationship between the coup leader and the deposed president.
The coup brought an immediate end to the 56-year rule of the Bongo family in Gabon. It became the eighth successful coup in West and Central Africa since 2020, reinforcing a regional trend of military takeovers. Brice Oligui Nguema assumed power, displacing his cousin Ali Bongo from the presidency.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Brice Oligui Nguema.
Side B
1 belligerent
Ali Bongo Ondimba.