Gabon opposition leader alleges the ousted president’s family arranged the coup to retain power

By SAM MEDNICK
Associated Press

DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — Gabon’s opposition leader is accusing the family of the recently ousted president of engineering his removal from power as a way of retaining their control in the oil-rich Central African nation. Albert Ondo Ossa says in an interview with The Associated Press that the junta who ousted Gabon’s president on Wednesday did not engage in a coup but rather a “palace revolution” in order to continue their family’s reign. The comments come days after soldiers toppled President Ali Bongo Ondimba and put him under house arrest, accusing him of irresponsible governance that risked leading the country into chaos. The soldiers then put Bongo’s cousin, the head of the elite republican guard, in charge.