Morocco urges maintaining stability in Gabon after coup

By Khalid Mejdoup

RABAT, Morocco (AA) - Morocco said Wednesday it is closely following developments in Gabon after a coup attempt in the central African country.

The Foreign Ministry called for maintaining stability.

“Morocco trusts in the wisdom of the Gabonese nation, its driving forces and its national institutions, to move forward towards a perspective that will enable it to act in the supreme interests of the country, safeguard the gains made and meet the aspirations of the brotherly Gabonese people,” it said.

A group of senior Gabonese army officers appeared on national television earlier Wednesday and announced they had seized power.

The move came shortly after the Gabonese Election Center confirmed that incumbent President Ali Bongo officially won a third term as president with 64.27% of the vote.

Bongo has been in power for more than a decade.

Gabon is the latest African country to witness a recent military coup after Niger last month and Mali in 2022.

The coups have sparked a wave of international condemnations, most of which expressed deep concern regarding the state of political instability on the continent.

*Writing by Ikram Kouachi.