'We are putting an end to the current regime,' Gabon soldiers say on TV

A group of 12 Gabonese soldiers announced on Wednesday they had deposed President Ali Bongo.

They announced the country’s borders were closed until further notice, in a statement broadcast on the Gabon 24 television channel.

“The borders are closed until further notice,” said one of the soldiers, speaking on behalf of a “Committee for the Transition and Restoration of Institutions”.

Soldiers sought to claim power after Gabon’s President Ali Bongo Ondimba, who has been in power for 14 years, was re-elected for a third term in Saturday’s election with 64.27 percent of votes cast.

In a single-round ballot, Bongo beat his main rival Albert Ondo Ossa, who won 30.77 percent of the vote, while 12 other candidates divided those remaining, said Michel Stephane Bonda, chairman of the Gabonese Elections Centre on state television. Voter turnout was 56.65 percent.