🇬🇦 Gabon's President Bongo under house arrest and his son under arrest

Gabon's deposed President Ali Bongo Ondimba is under house arrest, the AFP news agency is quoting military officers as saying.

"President Ali Bongo is under house arrest, surrounded by his family and doctors," the military said.

One of the president's sons had been arrested for "treason", the statement added.

Meanwhile, pro-coup manifestations continue in Gabon.

#Gabon

@africaintel

🇬🇦 Soldiers in Gabon tell celebrating crowds to go home

Shortly after army officers appeared on national television to say they had taken power, large crowds of people went on to the Boulevard Triomphal Omar Bongo, the main street of Gabon's capital, Libreville.

Although they were initially mingling with soldiers and thanking them, the military then asked them to return home and move away from strategic areas.

#Gabon

@africaintel

🇨🇳🇬🇦 China calls for safety guarantee of President Bongo

China said it is closely following the developing situation in Gabon army officers have seized power from President Ali Bongo.

During a press conference, a foreign ministry spokesman urged all sides to commit to dialogue in order to "restore normal order as soon as possible".

Wang Wenbin also called for the personal safety of President Bongo to be guaranteed.

#China #Gabon

@africaintel

🇷🇺🇫🇷🇨🇳🇬🇦 Russia and France join China in expressing concern

Russia says it is "deeply concerned" over the apparent coup in Gabon.

And France has reiterated its own anxiety over the situation; a fresh statement from Foreign Minister Olivier Véran says Paris wants the result of Gabon's recent election to be respected.

#Russia #France #China #Gabon

@africaintel

⚡️🇬🇦 Gabon's ousted President appeals for international support after military coup

Gabon's toppled president Ali Bongo appealed for international support after the military coup.

In his video he told that he is at his residence and he does not know where his wife and sons are.

Ali Bongo added that he is unaware what's going on and ask foreign countries to "make noise".

#Gabon

@africaintel

🇺🇸🇫🇷🇬🇦 USA, France and a military coup in Gabon

Russian channel Rybar published a very interesting insights about the coup in Gabon.

The fact is that the leader of the coup and a head of the Republican Guard, Brice Oligui Nguema, has close connections with the U.S.

The authorities in the United States have been supporting Nguema for several years, preparing him for the next elections, in which he was supposed to win and take over after Ali Bongo. Moreover, three years ago, details of the Nguema's ownership of three houses in the US, bought with cash in the state of Maryland, was leaked online. The funny part is that the CIA was investigating the thing.

But why did a pro-American general overthrow a pro-French president? As it seems the US government thinks that the French authorities are no longer able to effectively protect the interests of the collective West, including the USA, on the territory under their control. Therefore, Washington decided to take matters into its own hands and seize the initiative from the French.

It is unlikely that the French authorities will go for an escalation in relations with the US because of Gabon. Macron most likely will just swallow it. French intelligence is only tasked with dealing with the transfer of Ali Bongo and his family to a prison in Morocco, and their subsequent release, after the president is convicted in Gabon.

Also curious that French business is going to leave Gabon after the coup, which was not the case, for example, in Niger where the uranium company Orano continues to operate there


#USA #France #Gabon

@africaintel

🛢🇬🇦 TotalEnergies prioritising safety of its Gabon staff

French oil giant TotalEnergies says its main priority is to ensure the safety of its employees and operations in Gabon.

TotalEnergies has 350 employees in Gabon. It also said it was Gabon's main petrol distributor with 45 petrol stations there.

#Gabon

@africaintel

🇫🇷🇬🇦 France is preparing an evacuation operation from Gabon

Rumors are coming that France is preparing to initiate the evacuation of french citizens from Gabon. Notably TotalEnergies employees evacuation can start tomorrow.

Some rumors even suggest that France have already activated the Guépard Alert, which means that special forces and paratroopers of the French army are supposed to be ready to be deployed in 48 hours. Usually this plan is triggered if there is a need to evacuate French people.

#France #Gabon

@africaintel

🇹🇿 Tanzania names new energy minister to oversee LNG development

Tanzania President Samia Suluhu Hassan named a new energy minister on Wednesday as part of a cabinet reshuffle, ahead of expected cabinet approval for a $42 billion liquefied natural gas (LNG) project.

Doto Biteko, previously mines minister, will replace January Makamba as energy minister and will also become deputy prime minister, Chief Secretary Moses Kusiluka said in a statement.

Makamba, who has been involved in negotiations with investors over the LNG project, will become minister of foreign affairs and East African cooperation.

The energy ministry said in May it had agreed a deal with Equinor, Shell and Exxon Mobil for the development of an LNG export terminal after years of delays.

The agreement is awaiting cabinet approval and a final investment decision is expected in 2025.

#Tanzania

@africaintel

🇺🇬 Airtel Uganda seeks over $200 mln in IPO to drive growth

Airtel Uganda aims to raise $216 million by selling a 20% stake to drive its expansion plans, the telecommunications firm said on Tuesday, as it announced details of its initial public offering.

When the listing completes, Airtel Uganda will be the second listed telecoms company on Uganda's stock exchange after MTN Uganda, majority owned by South Africa's MTN Group.

Airtel Uganda is a unit of India's Bharti Airtel.

Airtel Uganda Managing Director told that the offer of 8 billion shares would start immediately and close on October 13.

The results of the IPO will be announced on October 30, and the shares listed on the Uganda Securities Exchange on October 31.

#Uganda

@africaintel

🇬🇦 General Nguema named Gabon’s transitional leader after coup

General Brice Oligui Nguema, the head of the coup and leader of Gabon’s elite Republican Guard – the unit in charge of the president’s security – has been named as the country’s transition leader.

Nguema is an influential figure in the country and is believed to be related to the deposed president and, which is more important, to the USA.

“The president of the transition insists on the need to maintain calm and serenity in our beautiful country. At the dawn of a new era, we will guarantee the peace, stability and dignity of our beloved Gabon,” military spokesperson said.

Also coup leaders said there would be a curfew from 6pm to 6am.

Interestingly that comparing to the Niger case, there are no westwide condemnation of the coup. No immediate sanctions, no threats. This just confirms suggestions that this is a pro-US coup.

#Gabon

@africaintel

🇷🇺🇺🇳🇲🇱 Russia seeks end to U.N.'s Mali sanctions

Russia is pushing the United Nations Security Council to immediately end independent monitoring of targeted U.N. sanctions on Mali and completely abolish its sanctions regime on Mali in August 2024.

Russia put forward the draft resolution to rival a text from France and the United Arab Emirates that would extend the sanctions regime and independent monitoring for another year, but also express a readiness to review the measures.

The 15-member Security Council is due to vote on both draft resolutions later on Wednesday.

#Russia #UN #Mali

@africaintel

🇬🇦 Gabon's Assala Energy says oil production unaffected by coup

Assala Energy, which is wholly owned by Carlyle Group (company in US), said its oil production in Gabon has been unaffected by the military coup in the country.

"We can confirm that all our personnel are safe, our operations continue as usual and our production is not affected," a company spokesperson said.

The private equity fund's non-U.S. energy arm first invested in Assala in 2017 when it acquired Shell's ageing operations in Gabon for $628 million.

However, earlier this month, Carlyle agreed to sell Assala to French producer Maurel & Prom, which owns and operates oil and gas assets in Africa, Europe and Latin America, including three licences in Gabon, for $730 million.

#Gabon

@africaintel

🇪🇺🇳🇪 EU to prepare ground for sanctions on Niger coup leaders

The European Union is moving ahead with the legal groundwork to impose sanctions on members of a junta that seized power in Niger last month, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said.

In deciding on sanctions, the EU will aim to mirror any measures taken by the West African regional body ECOWAS, Borrell said.

Borrell said he would propose establishing a legal framework for sanctions against those responsible for the coup when EU foreign ministers meet on Thursday, also in Toledo.

#EU #Niger

@africaintel

🇲🇱 New Mali army air strikes in the North

The former Tuareg rebellion in northern Mali on Tuesday accused the army of new air strikes on its positions.

A spokesman for the Coordination des mouvements de l'Azawad (CMA) told an AFP that the Malian army had struck CMA positions in Anéfis for the second day running. He reported no damage.

Previously, Malian army said on social networks that it had carried out airstrikes in the Anéfis sector, but "against columns of vehicles from armed terrorist groups" which, it claimed, were preparing attacks against civilians and military posts.

#Mali

@africaintel

🇪🇺🇨🇩 350,000 euros in EU aid to combat the Mpox disease in DRC

The European Union announced on Tuesday that it had granted 350,000 euros in aid to combat the mpox (formerly known as monkeypox) epidemic in the Democratic Republic of Congo, according to a press release.

Congolese health authorities have reported nearly 9,000 cases of mpox in the country, and 500 deaths this year, the EU delegation in the DRC said in a statement, adding that the Maniema province in the east is the worst affected.

The situation has prompted the EU to "step up its support and extend it to three new health zones in Maniema, by strengthening response capacities, notably through surveillance, community awareness-raising, diagnostics and treatment".

The 350,000 euros from the European Union will go to ALIMA, a medical humanitarian organization operating in the DRC, for a five-month project.

#EU #DRC

@africaintel

🇺🇳🇲🇱🇷🇺 UN sanctions in Mali to end after Russia blocks renewal

United Nations sanctions in Mali will end on Thursday after Russia vetoed a renewal of the regime that targeted anyone violating or obstructing a 2015 peace deal, hindering aid delivery, committing rights abuses or recruiting child soldiers.

Thirteen Security Council members voted in favor of a resolution, drafted by France and the United Arab Emirates, to extend the U.N. sanctions and independent monitoring for another year. Russia cast a veto, while China abstained from the vote.

Russia then instead proposed extending U.N. sanctions in Mali for one final year, but immediately ending the independent monitoring now. It was the only country to vote yes, while Japan voted no and the remaining 13 members abstained.

#UN #Mali #Russia

@africaintel