The Biden administration is actively following the military coup in Gabon on Wednesday, though an official said it's too soon to characterize the recent rash of coups as a "trend."
Army officers of the African nation of Gabon asserted on national television that they had taken power and invalidated the results of the recent election, in which President Ali Bongo was declared the winner. Bongo, who has been in power since his father's death in 2009, has been placed on house arrest.
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"This attempted military takeover. Certainly the latest in a region that's been rocked by attempted coup d'etat and unconstitutional paragraphs. And, again, it's deeply concerning to us. We will remain a supporter of the people in the region," United States National Security Council coordinator John Kirby said on Wednesday, noting all U.S. military and embassy personnel are accounted for and located.
If the Gabon military leaders are able to retain power, it would be the latest coup in West and Central Africa since 2020. Most recently, Niger fell to a military coup, while other military leaders have seized power in Mali, Sudan, Guinea, Burkina Faso, and Chad in recent years.
"I think it's too soon to call this a trend. It's obviously deeply concerning here yet another country where military officers have taken these dangerous and reckless steps and attempted takeovers of democratically elected governments," Kirby added.
Bongo's opposition in Saturday's election claimed the election lacked credibility, alleging interference by Bongo and a purposeful withholding of information, including barring foreign journalists from reporting on the vote. The coup, if it holds, would end more than 50 years under Bongo or his father, Omar Bongo, who served from 1967 through his death.
Gabon is located in west-central Africa along the Atlantic Coast.
U.S. military officials said about two weeks ago that they were preparing for the possibility of a withdrawal from the military bases in Niger.
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"We are planning [for an evacuation] because it's prudent planning to be ready for all situations," Gen. James B. Hecker, U.S. Air Forces Europe/Africa Commander, told reporters on Aug. 18. "That decision is not anywhere close to being made. And I think we have weeks, if not much longer, before our civilian leadership is going to give an order to either stay or — well to, to evacuate or not evacuate."
Many of these uprisings, including in Gabon, occurred at a time when there was a strong anti-western and anti-French attitude specifically because France colonized much of West Africa, Liam Karr, an analyst for the American Enterprise Institute, said. At the same time, Russia and China have attempted to gain partnerships on the continent as they attempt to reshape the world order.