(Washington) The United States announced Tuesday evening that it would suspend part of its aid to Gabon in response to the coup d’état at the end of August in this oil-rich Central African country which had been ruled for more than 55 years by the family Bongo.
“The American government is suspending part of its foreign aid to Gabon while it evaluates the unconstitutional intervention by members of the country’s army,” said the head of American diplomacy, Antony Blinken, in a press release.
It was not specified the amount of aid thus suspended nor the programs directly targeted, but this decision does not concern consular or embassy operations of the United States.
In doing so, the United States is complying with measures taken by regional organizations and other countries, and this “will continue while we examine the facts on the ground in Gabon,” the same source said. .
“We are continuing our government operations in Gabon, including diplomatic and consular operations in support of American citizens,” Blinken added.
The United States has not formally spoken of a “coup” in Gabon, which under American law would require the United States to suspend aid indefinitely.
On August 30, the Gabonese army overthrew President Ali Bongo Ondimba, in power for 14 years, a coup denounced by the international community.
Speaking at the UN last week, the new Prime Minister Raymond Ndong Sima, appointed two weeks ago by General Brice Oligui Nguema, considered that it was “a lesser evil » to avoid a “conflagration” in the face of “yet another electoral hold-up”.