Gabon soldiers seize state radio, gunfire heard

LIBREVILLE, 7 Jan 2019: Military officers in Gabon staged an apparent coup early Monday morning, seizing the state radio station and declaring their dissatisfaction with President Ali Bongo, who is recovering from a stroke in Morocco.

A New Year's address by Bongo "reinforced doubts about the president's ability to continue to carry out of the responsibilities of his office," said Lieutenant Kelly Ondo Obiang, the leader of the self-declared Patriotic Movement of the Defence and Security Forces of Gabon.

Sporadic gunfire was at the radio station seized by military officers, according to Reuters witness.

A crowd of about 300 people had gathered at the station in support of the attempted coup, but soldiers fired tear gas to disperse them.

Most of Libreville remained calm but there was a strong police and military presence on the street and helicopters circled overhead