Most of wars or military coups or invasions are done in the name of democracy against democracy. – Eduardo Galeano
Gabon’s August 30, 2023 coup fits into Galeano’s thoughts.
Likewise, historians and political scientists document the United States’ January 2020 attack on the Capitol in a similar fashion. The Republican Presidential aspirant in the 2023 elections, Donald Trump, and others have been indicted for that aborted coup.
Governments the world over are experiencing a lot of topsy-turviness. As such, it is becoming increasingly difficult to say which (attempted or actual) abrupt change of government is a coup or not.
The lines between a treasonable and reasonable change of government are turning blurry – From Trump’s aborted auto coup in the United States in 2020 to Prighozin’s announced attempted coup in Russia this June, and from Turkey’s postmodern coup de’tat in 1997 to Gabon’s popular coup de theatre this August.
Gabon’s Coup de théâtre
Gabon’s coup plotters rode on the wave of recent coups in Francophone Africa. But this is a twist of the whole anti-France narrative. According to the Medium’s Fidelis Ndeh-Che, Gabon’s coup was actually a pro-France coup.
Dataphyte reported that “it is puzzling that the head of the military government, Brice Oligui Nguema, is the cousin of the ousted infirm leader, who is battling with a stroke, and (a) former aide to his late father.
“This fuelled suspicions that the coup was a scam, and an attempt to retain Gabon’s political power and strategic economic interest in the family instead of risking outright loss in an election or a true revolutionary coup.
“In a major departure from the Francophone West African coups, The military did not mention any grouse with France as the cause of this coup, even though France has strong ties with the country and has its military base there.
“Besides, all the supposedly arrested President Bongo could say in a video was “make noise” (and “thank you”).
“This and many other forensic lapses fuel the suspicion that the coup is only a preemptive action by Gabon’s political establishment to maintain the status quo and its old alliance with France.”
Nigerian historian and professor of African Studies, Toyin Falola, responding to the dance and joy of the Gabonnese public, in a TVC interview said:
“I think they know that the military is not good. And in this particular case, it’s so bad, because, you know, the guy who overthrew the President is an insider, is his cousin. He’s been governing with them. He was the body guard of Omar Bongo, who died in 2009. He’s been part of the government. So its a family coup.
“And there are a number of interpretations.
“One, the opposition won that election. Very embarrassing. It is not a coup that is going to reform that society. It is a coup that is preventing well-organised civilian opposition who won the election to come to power.
“So their new President is also discredited. He is part of the system. He’s a member of the group that has been repressing his own people and is as corrupt as the Bongo family as well. So it’s like a palace coup in which a cousin overthrew his blood relation. Nevertheless, the people are happy.
“Thinking that, maybe, maybe, it is the beginning of something that will transit to a democracy that they want. It’s a very sad situation.”
Nde-Che also remarked that, while the coup was initially celebrated by some as a liberation from a long-standing dictatorship, the Gabon coup was not a legitimate military intervention to remove a dictator but rather a carefully orchestrated scam by the French to prevent a democratic transition of power.
It is believed that the opposition had won the election, but the Bongo family, who have control of the army, truncated the process to prevent the opposition from taking over.
The French are accused of being involved in this scam, as they have helped the Bongo family maintain a stranglehold on power in Gabon for 56 years. The goal is to prevent a democratic transition of power to an opposition leader they cannot rely on to protect their interests.
President Ali Bongo’s ouster by his nephewelicits all the trappings of a coup de théâtre – a make-believe coup with the “dramatic twist” of a real coup within a surreal coup.
A Coup de théâtre refers to an unexpected event or dramatic twist in a play or story, often used to surprise or captivate the audience. Essentially, it signifies a theatrical trick or a sudden and surprising development in the plot of a play or narrative.
In the recent plot of coups in Africa, the Gabon coup comes as a trick and sudden development in the coup narrative.
Global 2023 Coups d’état
In contrast to a Coup de théâtre, a “coup d’état” denotes a sudden and decisive action in politics, especially one that results in the illegal or forceful overthrow of a government. It involves a seizure of power, often by a small group or military force, and typically leads to a change in the ruling authority.