{"id":1054,"date":"2025-04-16T05:34:47","date_gmt":"2025-04-16T05:34:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/firearmupgrades.com\/?p=1054"},"modified":"2025-04-16T05:34:47","modified_gmt":"2025-04-16T05:34:47","slug":"gabons-coup-leader-wins-presidential-election","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/firearmupgrades.com\/?p=1054","title":{"rendered":"Gabon&#8217;s Coup Leader Wins Presidential Election"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <br \/>\n<br \/><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>Welcome to <em>Foreign Policy<\/em>\u2019s Africa Brief.<\/p>\n<p>The highlights this week: <strong>Gabon\u2019s presidential election<\/strong> is won by the man who led the country\u2019s 2023 coup, <strong>Sudan<\/strong> enters its third year of civil war, and <strong>South Africa<\/strong> appoints a new envoy to mend ties with the United States.<\/p>\n<div class=\"newsletter-unit-signup--shortcode-fallback\">\n<h2 class=\"dek-heading\">\n                <a href=\"https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/category\/africa-brief\/\">Sign up<\/a>  to receive Africa Brief in your inbox every Wednesday.            <\/h2>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div data-shortcode-newsletter=\"africa_brief\" class=\"newsletter-unit-signup newsletter-unit-signup--shortcode email-capture--step-1 newsletter-unit-signup--shortcode-africa_brief\">\n<div class=\"newsletter-africa_brief newsletter-shortcode-africa_brief\">\n<div class=\"show-on-email-capture--signed-up hide-from-newsletter-subscriber newsletter-unit-signup--shortcode--container\">\n<div class=\"newsletter-unit newsletters-page newsletter-row\">\n<div class=\"newsletter-africa_brief\">\n<h2 class=\"dek-heading\">Sign up to receive Africa Brief in your inbox every Wednesday.<\/h2>\n<p>\n                        <button class=\"button\">Sign Up<\/button>\n                    <\/p>\n<div class=\"grid--flex newsletter-africa_brief newsletter-signup-container\" role=\"group\" aria-label=\"Africa Brief sign up form\" tabindex=\"0\">\n<div class=\"buttons\">\n<div class=\"hide-from-newsletter-subscriber privacy-policy-container\">\n<div class=\"privacy-policy-acknowledge\">\n<p><small>By submitting your email, you agree to the <a href=\"https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/privacy\/\" target=\"_blank\">Privacy Policy<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/termsofuse\/\" target=\"_blank\">Terms of Use<\/a> and to receive email correspondence from us. You may opt out at any time.<\/small><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>\n    <label for=\"email-africa_brief\">Enter your email<\/label><br \/>\n    <input type=\"email\" name=\"email\" class=\"hide-from-reg hide-from-sub\" id=\"email-africa_brief\" aria-required=\"true\" required=\"\"\/><\/p>\n<p>    <button class=\"button button--signup \" data-newsletter-id=\"africa_brief\" data-sourceid=\"In-article unit\">Sign Up<\/button>\n  <\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<hr\/>\n<h3>Coup Leader Wins by a Landslide in Gabon<\/h3>\n<p>Gen. Brice Oligui Nguema, who led a coup in Gabon in 2023, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/world\/africa\/gabons-leader-nguema-elected-president-with-9035-vote-interior-minister-says-2025-04-13\/\">won<\/a> the country\u2019s presidential election on Saturday with more than 90 percent of the vote, according to preliminary results.<\/p>\n<p>In August 2023, Nguema\u2014the former head of the Gabonese Republican Guard, the country\u2019s most powerful security force\u2014ousted President Ali Bongo, ending more than 50 years of the Bongo dynasty.<\/p>\n<p>Though Nguema has tried to distance himself from the old regime, his election <a href=\"https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/2023\/09\/13\/gabon-bongo-nguema-palace-coup\/\">ensures<\/a> an extended familial grip on power: Nguema, formerly a military aide to Bongo\u2019s father, is Bongo\u2019s cousin, and the family\u2019s Gabonese Democratic Party <a href=\"https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2025\/4\/12\/gabons-first-election-after-collapse-of-bongo-dynasty-whats-at-stake\">endorsed<\/a> Nguema\u2019s candidacy.<\/p>\n<p>Voter turnout was <a href=\"https:\/\/www.france24.com\/en\/africa\/20250413-gabon-junta-chief-wins-presidency-by-landslide-provisional-results-show-bongo\">70.4 percent<\/a>, according to the Interior Ministry. For the first time, Gabon allowed <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rfi.fr\/en\/africa\/20250413-gabon-s-leader-nguema-elected-president-with-landslide-majority\">foreign media<\/a> to document the ballot count, and international observers said that the election appeared <a href=\"https:\/\/thecommonwealth.org\/news\/commonwealth-observer-group-commends-gabons-peaceful-polls-calls-increased-civic-participation\">fair and transparent<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Nguema\u2019s landslide victory comes as little surprise to analysts. For one, he lacked a strong rival, and his critics <a href=\"https:\/\/democracyinafrica.org\/gabon-elections-why-a-landmark-vote-wont-bring-real-change\/\">say<\/a> that he announced a quick election to give opponents less time to prepare. His closest challenger, Alain-Claude Bilie By Nze\u2014the country\u2019s last prime minister under Bongo\u2014won just over 3 percent of the vote.<\/p>\n<p>Another popular figure, trade unionist Jean-R\u00e9my Yama, was barred from running because he could not produce his father\u2019s birth certificate, a requirement for presidential candidates. (Yama has <a href=\"https:\/\/www.jeuneafrique.com\/1671513\/politique\/presidentielle-au-gabon-pourquoi-le-syndicaliste-jean-remy-yama-ne-sera-pas-candidat\/\">argued<\/a> that he was deliberately excluded from the vote.)<\/p>\n<p>Critics also <a href=\"https:\/\/africacenter.org\/spotlight\/2025-elections\/gabon\/\">say<\/a> that Nguema replicated the \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/africacenter.org\/spotlight\/2025-elections\/gabon\/\">coup transition playbook<\/a>\u201d by revising Gabon\u2019s electoral code, including by introducing an upper age limit of 70 that made his most popular rival, Albert Ondo Ossa, ineligible.<\/p>\n<p>Ossa <a href=\"https:\/\/www.lemonde.fr\/en\/le-monde-africa\/article\/2023\/09\/01\/albert-ondo-ossa-everything-must-be-done-so-that-general-oligui-nguema-hands-over-power-to-me_6119686_124.html\">maintains<\/a> that he won the country\u2019s last election in 2023\u2014in which Bongo also claimed victory, sparking calls for mass protests that ended with Bongo\u2019s ouster. Ossa has previously <a href=\"https:\/\/www.voaafrica.com\/a\/gabon-opposition-candidate-it-s-not-coup-it-s-palace-revolution-\/7250937.html\">dismissed<\/a> Nguema\u2019s power grab as a \u201cpalace revolution\u201d and \u201cfamily affair.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Still, Gabonese citizens have reason to be drawn to Nguema\u2019s platform. His transitional government comprised voices across the political spectrum, including former government figures and civil society critics. He campaigned on the promise of curbing graft and pledged to address youth unemployment, poor infrastructure, and the high cost of living.<\/p>\n<p>Oil-rich Gabon boasts Africa\u2019s third-highest GDP per capita, but inequality is rampant, and more than <a href=\"https:\/\/www.france24.com\/en\/tv-shows\/business-daily\/20230830-gabon-s-economy-a-wealth-of-resources-that-fail-to-trickle-down-to-population\">one-third<\/a> of the country\u2019s citizens live in poverty. The International Monetary Fund <a href=\"https:\/\/www.elibrary.imf.org\/view\/journals\/002\/2024\/144\/article-A001-en.xml\">estimated<\/a> last year that nearly 40 percent of young Gabonese were unemployed.<\/p>\n<p>Nguema has carefully balanced his international and domestic profiles. Since the coup, he has sought to demonstrate that he can put Gabon\u2019s needs first by nationalizing foreign-owned oil assets, including from British multinational <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/business\/energy\/tullow-oil-sell-gabon-assets-300-million-2025-03-24\/\">Tullow<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/markets\/deals\/gabon-completes-acquisition-carlyles-assala-energy-2024-06-21\/\">Assala Energy<\/a>, which was owned by U.S. private equity firm Carlyle.<\/p>\n<p>At the same time, Nguema has <a href=\"https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2025\/4\/13\/gabon-military-leader-brice-oligui-nguema-wins-presidential-election\">said<\/a> that he intends to pursue an \u201cassertive\u201d foreign policy and will seek partnerships with China, France, and Russia. Nguema has also worked to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wam.ae\/en\/article\/b2jc8po-shakhboot-bin-nahyan-nahyan-meets-transitional\">strengthen<\/a> trade ties with the United Arab Emirates. Over the weekend, he <a href=\"https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2025\/4\/13\/gabon-military-leader-brice-oligui-nguema-wins-presidential-election\">told<\/a> Al Jazeera that the UAE is expected to open an embassy in Gabon soon.<\/p>\n<p>And unlike other Francophone countries in Central and West Africa led by juntas, Nguema hasn\u2019t kicked French troops out of Gabon entirely. Camp de Gaulle in the capital of Libreville is one of the few remaining French military bases in Africa, and it is now <a href=\"http:\/\/uk.news.yahoo.com\/gabon-french-army-shifts-focus-114032819.html\">operated jointly<\/a> with Gabon as a training center.<\/p>\n<p>Despite Nguema\u2019s many promises, some analysts remain <a href=\"https:\/\/www.africa-confidential.com\/article-preview\/id\/15269\/general-oligui-nguema-shows-how-to-run-a-coup\">skeptical<\/a> that radical change will be possible under a leader who has long been part of the Bongo family\u2019s inner circle.<\/p>\n<hr\/>\n<h3>The Week Ahead<\/h3>\n<p><strong>Wednesday, April 16:<\/strong> The United Nations Security Council discusses its mission in South Sudan.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Thursday, April 17:<\/strong> The U.N. Security Council discusses sanctions against Libya.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Thursday, April 17, to<\/strong> <strong>Friday, April 18:<\/strong> The Liberia-EU Business Forum is held in Brussels.<\/p>\n<hr\/>\n<h3>What We\u2019re Watching<\/h3>\n<p><strong>Two years of Sudan\u2019s civil war.<\/strong> Tuesday marked two years since war broke out between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). The conflict has <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cfr.org\/global-conflict-tracker\/conflict\/power-struggle-sudan\">killed<\/a> around 150,000 people, displaced more than 14 million, and <a href=\"https:\/\/news.un.org\/en\/story\/2025\/04\/1162096\">left<\/a> more than 25 million\u2014around half of Sudan\u2019s population\u2014facing extreme levels of hunger.<\/p>\n<p>In recent days, around 400,000 people <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/sudan-400000-forced-to-flee-zamzam-camp-in-darfur\/a-72244970\">fled<\/a> Sudan\u2019s largest refugee camp after the RSF overran the camp and surrounding areas in the country\u2019s Darfur region. More than 400 people have been <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/news\/articles\/cy8e5kj5gmdo\">killed<\/a> in RSF attacks around El Fasher, the last major city in Darfur held by Sudan\u2019s military, that began last week.<\/p>\n<p>On Tuesday, the United Kingdom hosted a Sudan peace conference, attended by foreign ministers from around 15 countries but not the warring parties. The British government faces domestic <a href=\"https:\/\/www.telegraph.co.uk\/news\/2024\/09\/29\/david-lammy-arms-sales-uae-human-rights\/\">criticism<\/a> for selling arms to the UAE, which backs the RSF. The government of Sudan has <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/news\/articles\/cq8009pl4xjo\">accused<\/a> the UAE of facilitating genocide in a case before the International Court of Justice.<\/p>\n<p><strong>South Africa\u2019s new envoy.<\/strong> South Africa <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/PresidencyZA\/status\/1911722884948537453\">appointed<\/a> former Deputy Finance Minister Mcebisi Jonas as special envoy to the United States on Monday. Jonas will attempt to mend relations with Washington, which have deteriorated quickly since U.S. President Donald Trump took office.<\/p>\n<p>In March, the United States <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/news\/articles\/cvg10rle1lvo\">expelled<\/a> South Africa\u2019s ambassador, Ebrahim Rasool, who has been critical of Trump and of Israel. Rasool said in an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=J1ILz1S_AdQ&amp;t=1138s\">online lecture<\/a> last month that Trump was \u201cmobilizing a supremacism\u201d in the United States. Rasool, who is of mixed heritage, was evicted from his home in Cape Town as a child after the apartheid government declared it a white-only area.<\/p>\n<p>Jonas is seen as a businessman who can navigate Trump\u2019s transactional approach to diplomacy. He is currently an independent non-executive chairman of MTN Group, Africa\u2019s largest mobile network operator, and he will keep the position alongside his new role. Yet Jonas\u2019s previous comments criticizing Trump have worried South African <a href=\"https:\/\/www.timeslive.co.za\/politics\/2025-04-15-set-up-for-failure-concerns-over-jonas-us-envoy-appointment-after-old-video-about-trump-resurfaced\/\">media outlets<\/a>, too.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Attacks in Goma.<\/strong> Clashes between the Democratic Republic of the Congo\u2019s military and the Rwanda-backed M23 rebel group killed at least <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/congo-goma-m23-wazalendo-rebels-f4c6dcbc9b2a48a6997111cf499c3e1b\">50 people<\/a> over the weekend in the eastern Congolese city of Goma, which M23 seized in January.<\/p>\n<p>The fighting marks an escalation in the conflict\u2014which, according to a recent <a href=\"https:\/\/www.unicef.org\/press-releases\/child-reported-raped-every-half-hour-eastern-drc-violence-rages-amid-growing-funding\">report<\/a> by UNICEF, is defined by sexual violence. The escalation is a blow to ongoing mediation talks. Last week, a Congolese delegation <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/world\/africa\/congo-government-m23-rebel-delegations-doha-talks-sources-say-2025-04-10\/\">met with<\/a> M23 rebels in Doha, Qatar, to discuss a potential cease-fire.<\/p>\n<p>The Congolese government is also dealing with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.msn.com\/en-in\/news\/world\/heavy-rains-flood-dr-congo-capital-killing-over-70\/ar-AA1CVzb9\">floods<\/a> that have killed dozens of people and displaced around 5,000 in Kinshasa, the capital.<\/p>\n<p><strong>TPS ends for Cameroonians.<\/strong> Around <a href=\"https:\/\/www.federalregister.gov\/documents\/2023\/10\/10\/2023-22375\/extension-and-redesignation-of-cameroon-for-temporary-protected-status\">8,000 Cameroonians<\/a> will lose Temporary Protected Status (TPS), a designation shielding them from deportation due to unsafe conditions in their home country, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2025\/04\/11\/us\/politics\/trump-tps-afghanistan-cameroon.html\">said<\/a> last Friday.<\/p>\n<p>The move will allow deportations starting on June 7, when the current designation expires. The Trump administration effectively ended TPS earlier this month for South Sudanese nationals in the United States when it <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2025\/apr\/06\/us-revokes-all-visas-for-south-sudanese-over-countrys-failure-to-repatriate-citizens\">revoked<\/a> all visas for South Sudanese passport holders. South Sudan is one of several African nations in which the Trump administration is considering closing its embassy, CNN <a href=\"https:\/\/edition.cnn.com\/2025\/04\/15\/politics\/closing-embassies-consulates-document\/index.html\">reported<\/a> on Tuesday.<\/p>\n<hr\/>\n<h3>This Week in Tech<\/h3>\n<p><strong>Starlink arrives in Somalia.<\/strong> Elon Musk\u2019s Starlink satellite internet is now available in Somalia, the billionaire owner <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/elonmusk\/status\/1911429071470293414\">wrote<\/a> on X on Sunday. Somalia issued Starlink the license to operate after more than <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hiiraan.com\/news4\/2025\/Apr\/201121\/starlink_launches_in_somalia_expanding_satellite_internet_to_underserved_regions.aspx\">two years<\/a> of negotiations.<\/p>\n<p>Musk has sought to fill the massive gap in broadband connectivity across Africa, which is the world\u2019s least connected region. As Starlink has <a href=\"https:\/\/allafrica.com\/stories\/202412090102.html\">aggressively<\/a> pushed into the broadband market in around <a href=\"https:\/\/itweb.africa\/content\/lwrKxq3YkLr7mg1o\">20 African countries<\/a>, it has faced <a href=\"https:\/\/english.elpais.com\/economy-and-business\/2024-12-06\/starlink-satellites-elon-musks-other-destabilizing-power-in-africa.html\">criticism<\/a> that it has an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/business\/media-telecom\/kenyas-safaricom-urges-new-requirements-satellite-providers-like-starlink-2024-08-23\/\">unfair<\/a> advantage over local providers, rarely invests in African network infrastructure, and hires few local employees.<\/p>\n<p>Last month, Nigeria <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dabafinance.com\/en\/news\/starlink-becomes-nigerias-second-largest-isp-on-fast-internet-demand\">said<\/a> that Starlink had become the country\u2019s second-largest internet service provider; on Monday, the company <a href=\"https:\/\/africa.businessinsider.com\/local\/markets\/lesotho-grants-elon-musk-starlink-license-amid-strained-relations-with-the-us\/2gmzdgh\">gained<\/a> a license to operate in Lesotho. But in Nigeria and elsewhere, Starlink faces regular connectivity issues due to a lack of <a href=\"https:\/\/techfocus24.com\/starlink-faces-overwhelming-demand-in-african-cities-amid-broadband-shortages\/\">infrastructure<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, Musk has faced difficulty getting regulatory approval to expand Starlink into South Africa due to his refusal to comply with the country\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.connectingafrica.com\/connectivity\/south-africa-s-president-holds-talks-with-starlink\">ownership laws<\/a>, which aim to address the legacy of apartheid. One South African official, however, is looking to tweak the requirements for Starlink and other providers, according to recent <em>New York Times<\/em> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2025\/04\/11\/world\/africa\/starlink-south-africa-elon-musk.html\">reporting<\/a>.<\/p>\n<hr\/>\n<hr\/>\n<h3>What We\u2019re Reading<\/h3>\n<p><strong>Kenya restarts Chinese rail project.<\/strong> Kenya signed a new contract with the Export-Import Bank of China and a Chinese-owned engineering company to extend the stalled Standard Gauge Railway to neighboring Uganda, despite previous lawsuits and a graft investigation that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2022\/08\/07\/world\/africa\/kenya-election-train.html\">marred<\/a> the multibillion-dollar project, Jevans Nyabiage <a href=\"https:\/\/www.scmp.com\/news\/china\/diplomacy\/article\/3305483\/after-delay-new-chinese-funding-plan-will-help-extend-railway-uganda-kenya-says\">reports<\/a> in the <em>South China Morning Post<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>Last week, Kenya also canceled a $1.4 billion highway expansion deal with a consortium led by a French company. Government sources <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/world\/africa\/kenya-pivots-china-away-france-13-billion-euro-highway-deal-2025-04-11\/\">told<\/a> Reuters that the contract will go to a Chinese company instead.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Japan\u2019s African samurai.<\/strong> The soundtrack of <em>Assassin\u2019s Creed Shadows<\/em>, a new video game set in 16th-century Japan, is heavily influenced by East African music, Emmanuel Esomnofu <a href=\"https:\/\/www.okayafrica.com\/assassins-creed-tiggs-da-author\/\">writes<\/a> in OkayAfrica. Yasuke, one of the game\u2019s protagonists, is based on a real-life African samurai who served under Japanese warlord Oda Nobunaga.<\/p>\n<p>According to Esomnofu, the production team used \u201ca host of traditional Japanese flutes, East African rhythms, psych rock, and other sounds\u201d to support the game\u2019s storyline. The lead track, \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=OAwUU7MXMJU\">Ukombozi Pt. I<\/a>,\u201d is primarily sung in Swahili by British Tanzanian musician Tiggs Da Author.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/2025\/04\/16\/gabon-presidential-election-coup-leader-nguema\/\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Welcome to Foreign Policy\u2019s Africa Brief. The highlights this week: Gabon\u2019s presidential election is won by the man who led the country\u2019s 2023 coup, Sudan enters its third year of civil war, and South Africa appoints a new envoy to mend ties with the United States. Sign up to receive Africa Brief in your inbox [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1055,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-1054","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-politcical-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/firearmupgrades.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1054","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/firearmupgrades.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/firearmupgrades.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/firearmupgrades.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/firearmupgrades.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1054"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/firearmupgrades.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1054\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/firearmupgrades.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1055"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/firearmupgrades.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1054"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/firearmupgrades.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1054"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/firearmupgrades.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1054"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}