VOA新闻杂志2023--Gabon Military Seizes Power In Oil-rich Country

Gabon Military Seizes Power In Oil-rich Country

Military officers in oil-producing Gabon said they had seized power on Wednesday and had put President Ali Bongo under house arrest. The military seized control minutes after the Central African state's election body announced he had won a third term.

The officers said they represented the armed forces. They said on television that the election results were canceled. They also said the borders were closed and state institutions had broken up. The military takeover took place after a vote that was set to extend the Bongo family's 50-plus years in power.

The Gabon officers call themselves The Committee of Transition and the Restoration of Institutions. They said the country faced "a severe institutional, political, economic, and social crisis." They said the August 26 vote was not credible¹.

One of the officers is Brice Oligui Nguema. In a video he appeared to be the military's leader. He told French newspaper Le Monde that he and other generals would meet on Wednesday to select someone to head the transitional government.

Hundreds of people celebrated² the military's intervention³ on the streets of Libreville, the Gabonese capital.

The officers said they had detained Bongo, who took over in 2009. Before that, his father Omar, had ruled Gabon since 1967. The officer also said they had arrested the president's son and others for corruption⁴ and treason.

Opponents say the family has done little to share the state's oil and mining wealth with its 2.3 million people. Violent unrest broke out after Bongo's disputed 2016 election win. There was a failed coup⁵ attempt in 2019.

The 64-year-old Bongo was last seen in public voting on Saturday.

French Condemnation⁷

France, Gabon's former colonial ruler, condemned⁸ the takeover. France has troops in the country.

"We condemn⁶ the military coup and recall our commitment to free and transparent⁹ elections," French government spokesman Olivier Veran said.

The coup creates more uncertainty¹⁰ for France's presence in the area. France has about 350 troops in Gabon. Its forces have been kicked out of Mali and Burkina Faso after coups¹¹ there in the last two years.

The African Union's Peace and Security Council chair called for a meeting on the situation with Burundi, Senegal and Cameroon. China called for a peaceful resolution and Russia said it hoped for a quick return to stability.

Rukmini Sanya is an expert at the Economist¹² Intelligence Unit. He said, "Mr. Bongo is not expected to be able to suppress the uprising." He said there was "widespread public discontent" against Bongo, his family and his ruling party.

Gabon produces about 200,000 barrels of oil a day. International companies include France's TotalEnergies and Anglo-French producer Perenco. French miner Eramet said it had halted operations in Gabon.

There were concerns about transparency regarding Saturday's vote. During the election, there was a lack of international observers and some foreign broadcasts were suspended. The government also cut internet service and put in place a nighttime curfew. On Wednesday, internet access appeared to be in place for the first time since the election.

Shortly before the coup, the election body had declared Bongo the election winner with 64.3 percent of the vote. His main opponent, Albert Ondo Ossa, received 30.8 percent of the vote.

Words in This Story

institution — n. an established organization

transition — n. a change from one state or condition to another

credible — adj. able to be believed

coup — adj. a sudden attempt by a small group of people to take over the government usually through violence

transparent — adj. honest and open

 

stability — n. the quality or state of something that is not easily changed or likely to change

1 credible   

adj.可信任的，可靠的

参考例句：

• The news report is hardly credible.这则新闻报道令人难以置信。
• Is there a credible alternative to the nuclear deterrent?是否有可以取代核威慑力量的可靠办法？

2 celebrated   

adj.有名的，声誉卓著的

参考例句：

• He was soon one of the most celebrated young painters in England.不久他就成了英格兰最负盛名的年轻画家之一。
• The celebrated violinist was mobbed by the audience.观众团团围住了这位著名的小提琴演奏家。

3 intervention   

n.介入，干涉，干预

参考例句：

• The government's intervention in this dispute will not help.政府对这场争论的干预不会起作用。
• Many people felt he would be hostile to the idea of foreign intervention.许多人觉得他会反对外来干预。

4 corruption   

n.腐败，堕落，贪污

参考例句：

• The people asked the government to hit out against corruption and theft.人民要求政府严惩贪污盗窃。
• The old man reviled against corruption.那老人痛斥了贪污舞弊。

5 coup   

n.政变；突然而成功的行动

参考例句：

• The monarch was ousted by a military coup.那君主被军事政变者废黜了。
• That government was overthrown in a military coup three years ago.那个政府在3年前的军事政变中被推翻。

6 condemn   

vt.谴责，指责；宣判(罪犯)，判刑

参考例句：

• Some praise him,whereas others condemn him.有些人赞扬他，而有些人谴责他。
• We mustn't condemn him on mere suppositions.我们不可全凭臆测来指责他。

7 condemnation   

n.谴责; 定罪

参考例句：

• There was widespread condemnation of the invasion. 那次侵略遭到了人们普遍的谴责。
• The jury's condemnation was a shock to the suspect. 陪审团宣告有罪使嫌疑犯大为震惊。

8 condemned   

adj. 被责难的, 被宣告有罪的 动词condemn的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He condemned the hypocrisy of those politicians who do one thing and say another. 他谴责了那些说一套做一套的政客的虚伪。
• The policy has been condemned as a regressive step. 这项政策被认为是一种倒退而受到谴责。

9 transparent   

adj.明显的，无疑的；透明的

参考例句：

• The water is so transparent that we can see the fishes swimming.水清澈透明，可以看到鱼儿游来游去。
• The window glass is transparent.窗玻璃是透明的。

10 uncertainty   

n.易变，靠不住，不确知，不确定的事物

参考例句：

• Her comments will add to the uncertainty of the situation.她的批评将会使局势更加不稳定。
• After six weeks of uncertainty,the strain was beginning to take its toll.6个星期的忐忑不安后，压力开始产生影响了。

11 coups   

n.意外而成功的行动( coup的名词复数 )；政变；努力办到难办的事

参考例句：

• China has seen many political coups within the ruling class. 中国统治阶级内部发生过很多政变。 来自互联网
• Thailand has had eighteen coups or coup attendance since nineteen thirty-two. 泰国1932年以来有18次政变或参加政变。 来自互联网

12 economist   

n.经济学家，经济专家，节俭的人

参考例句：

• He cast a professional economist's eyes on the problem.他以经济学行家的眼光审视这个问题。
• He's an economist who thinks he knows all the answers.他是个经济学家，自以为什么都懂。