The Biden administration on Tuesday stopped the majority of non-humanitarian aid, following a military coup in Gabon last month, at least the second in an African country this year.
“We are pausing certain foreign assistance programs that benefit the government of Gabon while we evaluate the unconstitutional intervention by members of the country’s military,” US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement.
It claimed that the short-term move was in keeping with the responses to the coup made by the regional Central African bloc, the African Union (AU), and other international allies. Following the revolution, Gabon’s membership in the AU and the Economic Community of Central African States (Eccas) was suspended.
The State Department stated that the decision to halt aid to Gabon will stand “while we review the facts on the ground”.
However, it noted that operational actions in the nation, such as diplomatic and consular operations to support US individuals, were still ongoing.
Immediately following his election victory, President Ali Bongo was overthrown by Gabonese military leaders on August 30.
Since 2009, President Bongo has been in charge. He succeeded Omar Bongo, who took office as president for the first time in 1967.
The dictatorship in Gabon has pledged to hold free and fair elections but has not provided a timeline.
This month, a newly installed prime minister chosen by the military coup informed newsmen that new elections would be held in the nation within the following two years.
