Gabon: Morocco calls for stability in the aftermath of coup
Rabat has stressed the importance of preserving stability in Gabon as the Central African country was struck by a military coup on August 30, reports the AFP, August 31.
In the early hours of August 30, a coup d’état broke out following the reelection of Gabonese President, Ali Bongo Ondimba. Violent scenes erupted resulting in the democratically elected President being ousted.
The Gabonese political veteran is now under house arrest in Gabon’s capital, Libreville, as General Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema was named as the country’s new ruler.
Morocco’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has noted that it is carefully monitoring the situation in Gabon.
The Central African country and Morocco have long had positive ties due to the close friendship between Ondimba and Morocco’s King, Mohammed VI. The pair have been friends since childhood.
READ: Military stage coup in Gabon
Morocco’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccan Expatriates, said in a statement that it, “underlines the importance of preserving the stability of this brother country and the tranquility of its population”
Gabon has been Morocco’s closest allies in Africa in strong ties that have dated back to the time when King Hassan II was the Maghreb country’s monarch. The late Hassan II was the king from 1961 until his passing in 1999.
The statement by the ministry added, “Morocco trusts in the wisdom of the Gabonese nation, its strong forces, and its national institutions, to move towards a perspective allowing it to act in the best interests of the country, to safeguard the achievements made, and to respond to the aspirations of the brother Gabonese people”
Many onlookers have wondered what the future holds for Gabon following the brutal takeover and what it could mean for ties between the country and Morocco. The situation leaves uncertainty in the minds of Moroccans, this is particularly the case for King Mohammed VI.
August 26 saw violent clashes between Gabonese demonstrators and Moroccan police officers in front of Gabon’s embassy in Rabat (Morocco’s capital city) whilst a vote count for the Gabonese Presidential elections was occurring.
AFP
