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Rabat – Following a failed coup d’etat attempt in Gabon against President Ali Bongo on Monday, some media raised speculations over the presence of Moroccan military in Libreville.
However, Morocco denied any presence of its military in Gabon.
Expressing his astonishment at the rumors, an authorized source from the Moroccan government told Morocco World News that “there is no Moroccan military presence” in Gabon.
The speculations came as King Mohammed VI was in Gabon during the new year’s holidays.
Gabonese authorities thwarted the coup d’etat staged by four Gabonese military members who seized a state broadcaster and announced their plans to establish a National Restoration Council.
Gabonese Government Spokesperson Guy-Bertrand said on Monday that the country is “under control,” adding that the government had arrested the four military ringleaders.
Soldiers, according to international news, said that they were not satisfied with the recent speech Bongo gave from Morocco.
Read Also: Gabon Unrest: Government Arrests Attempted Coup Leaders
After seizing the broadcaster, Ondo Obiang, who identified himself as a lieutenant, delivered a speech on air to inform Gabonese people of the military’s intention.
“We cannot abandon our homeland,” Obiang said, calling on young Gabonese forces to mobilize for “defense and security and Gabonese people to join us.”
Addressing his fellow citizens from Morocco over the New Year, Bongo acknowledged the precarious situation of his country.
“It is true that I have been through a difficult period, as sometimes happens in life,” he said but promised his citizens of a new day. “Today, as you can see, I am better and I am preparing to meet you again soon,” he added.
At the invitation of King Mohammed VI, the Gabonese president arrived in Rabat in November 2018 to continue his recovery after suffering a stroke in Saudi Arabia in October.
Until the moment, Bongo’s date of return to Gabon is still unknown.
