Gabon military officers seize power days after presidential election

Mutinous soldiers in Gabon overturn presidential election results, attempt coup to end Ali Bongo family's 55-year hold on power. Soldiers from gendarme, republican guard, other security forces vow to dissolve all institutions. Gabon seen as relatively stable, but anti-France sentiment spreading in former colonies. Post-election violence feared, many left country or stockpiled food.

Mutinous soldiers in Gabon said Wednesday they were overturning the results of a presidential election that was to extend the Bongo family's 55-year hold on power.

The central African country's election committee announced that President Ali Bongo Ondimba, 64, had won the election with 64% of the vote early Wednesday morning. Within minutes, gunfire was heard in the center of the capital, Libreville.

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A dozen uniformed soldiers appeared on state television later the same morning and announced that they had seized power.

The soldiers intended to “dissolve all institutions of the republic,” said a spokesman for the group, whose members were drawn from the gendarme, the republican guard and other elements of the security forces.

The coup attempt came about one month after mutinous soldiers in Niger seized power from the democratically elected government, and is the latest in a series of coups that have challenged governments with ties to France, the region's former coloniser.

Unlike Niger and two other West African countries run by military juntas, Gabon hasn’t been wracked by jihadi violence and had been seen as relatively stable.