Gabon: Armed incident in Libreville June 16; monitor developments

Event

A group of armed men reportedly stormed four television stations in the capital city of Libreville on Friday, June 16, and demanded that they broadcast a video featuring opposition politician (and former presidential candidate) Roland Désiré Aba'a Minko. The armed men also allegedly left explosives in at least one of the television stations, although upon investigation, it appeared that the bombs were not armed. No injuries as a result of the incident have been reported.

In the video, Minko claimed to have set bombs in various government buildings and threatened to detonate one bomb per day if President Ali Bongo does not leave within three days; it is unclear how credible this threat is. Minko also asserted that Jean Ping, the second-place finisher in last year's controversial election, was the legitimate leader of the country. However, Jean Ping has issued a statement denouncing the action. Security has reportedly been reinforced surrounding public buildings in the wake of Friday's events. Additional details about the situation are still emerging.

Advice

All those present in Libreville are advised to closely monitor developments to the situation and to limit unnecessary movements in the city until the situation has been fully resolved.