Gabon’s new junta makes promises of return to civilian rule

Gabon’s coup leader vowed after being sworn in as interim president on Monday to restore civilian rule through “free, transparent and credible elections” after a transition and amnesty prisoners of conscience. Oligui said he was “surprised” at foreign criticism of the coup. The military had been prompted by a desire to avoid bloodshed following “an electoral process that was obviously loaded,” he said. Five other countries in Africa — Mali, Guinea, Sudan, Burkina Faso and Niger — have undergone coups in the last three years, although their circumstances are different from Gabon’s. The three Sahel countries, for instance, saw military takeovers after elected presidents failed to stem a bloody jihadist insurgency.