Gabon Foils Coup Attempt Monday Jan 07,2019

Gabon has foiled an attempted military coup, killing two suspected plotters and capturing seven others just hours after they took over state radio in a bid to end 50 years of rule by President Ali Bongo's family.

Guy-Bertrand Mapangou, spokesman for the government, announced the deaths and arrests on Monday after soldiers briefly seized the radio station in the capital, Libreville, and broadcast a message saying Bongo was no longer fit for office.

The 59-year-old president, who suffered a stroke in Saudi Arabia in October, has been in Morocco for medical treatment since November 2018

On December 31,2018 in one of his first television appearances since the stroke, Bongo, slurred his speech and he appeared unable to move his right arm. It is unclear if he is able to walk.

In a radio message at 4:30am (3:30 GMT), Lieutenant Kelly Ondo Obiang, who described himself as an officer in the Republican Guard, said Bongo's New Year's Eve address "reinforced doubts about the president's ability to continue to carry out of the responsibilities of his office".

Who is behind the coup and what is its objective?

Lieutenant Kelly Ondo Obiang, the soldier who announced the seizure of power through national media, identified himself as deputy commander of the Republican Guard and president of the Patriotic Youth Movement of the Gabonese Defense and Security Forces.

According to his statement, the group had to take control because Bongo was physically and mentally incapable of ruling the country due to his health.

He criticised "the high military hierarchy" for failing to defend "the best interest of the nation" by tolerating the president's lies about his health, referring to a New Year's speech made in Morocco in which he claimed he was well.