Gabon’s Coup Chief Takes Command as ‘Transitional President’

The leader of a coup that ousted Gabon’s President Ali Bongo was sworn in as interim president and cheered by jubilant supporters in a televised ceremony designed to cast the military as liberators of an oppressed society.

Gabon's new strongman, Gen. Brice Oligui Nguema, (2nd R) poses for a photograph with his wife, Zita Nyangue Oligui Nguema, as he is inaugurated as Gabon's interim president, in Libreville on Sept. 4, 2023. AFP via Getty Images

When journalist Estra Nelle Ovono Ndong, 37, woke up on Aug. 30 to the news that generals in his tiny oil-rich central African nation of Gabon had seized power from President Ali Bongo Odimba, all he could do was go into his room, close the door, and pray to God.

Having confirmed the news with neighbors minutes later, Mr. Ovono immediately joined thousands of other Gabonese in the streets of Port-Gentil to celebrate the bloodless coup.