Commonwealth partially suspended Gabon's membership after military coup

Gabon membership has partially been suspended from the Commonwealth following the August 30 military coup ousting President Ali Bongo. This decision was taken during the 63rd Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group (CMAG) meeting held in New York on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly. Earlier this month, the African Union had suspended the country’s membership a day after military officers, the first regional response to the eighth coup in West and Central Africa since 2020. WATCH: Gabon Coup: Ousted President’s Cousin Becomes New Leader | Vantage with Palki Sharma

The takeover ends the Bongo family dynasty’s almost six decades in power and creates a new conundrum for a region hit with a wave of coups that Nigerian President Bola Tinubu called a “contagion of autocracy”. Like other juntas who have snatched power in the region, Gabon’s military leaders are seeking to consolidate power despite international condemnation.