Gabon’s coup leader is sworn in, promises reform

Little-known politician Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar will serve as caretaker prime minister until elections take place. The ceremony on Pakistan's Independence Day comes amid ongoing political turmoil in the country.

The Bongo family has ruled Gabon for more than 50 years. Saturday's presidential election isn't expected to change that. The tiny oil-rich nation is grappling with high unemployment while the elite live luxuriously.

Gabon's government has said it is imposing a curfew and disabling the internet as its general election draws to a close, saying this was necessary because of "calls for violence ... and false information."

Military officers in oil-producing Gabon said they had seized power on Wednesday, placing President Ali Bongo under house arrest and naming a new leader after the Central African state's election body announced Bongo had won a third term.

As a group of senior Gabonese military officers announce they have seized power and placed President Ali Bongo under house arrest, we take a closer look at Gabon's economic situation. The Central African nation is the fourth-largest oil producer in sub-Saharan Africa, but a third of its population lives below the poverty line. One particular source of frustration lies in the high levels of corruption: the country ranks 136th in Transparency International's Corruption Perceptions Index.

After Gabon's long-ruling President Ali Bongo Ondimba was re-elected for a third term in a controversial election, members of the local military say they have taken over.

EU foreign policy chief Borrell said the coup followed "elections full of irregularities." He addressed reporters ahead of an EU meeting with African stakeholders to also discuss Niger's coup.

We bring you reactions from the pan-African and French press after the coup in Gabon and appointment of a general as transitional president. What future awaits the region? Also: one of India's richest families, the Adani Group, is accused of stock market corruption in a damning report. Finally: Japan's prime minister eats fish from Fukushima's radioactive waters to prove that it's... not radioactive!

Since 1967, Gabon has been dominated by one family. The Bongos combined their authoritarian power with excessive wealth and tenacious family grievances.

Ali Bongo Ondimba was set to extend his presidential tenure into a third term when mutinous soldiers seized power in a coup. Analysts weren't surprised, as sentiments to end the Bongo dynasty had been growing for years.

In the aftermath of the coup in Gabon on Wednesday, videos have emerged that appear to show officials being caught red-handed with suitcases stuffed full of cash. Emerald Maxwell takes a look at what we know about the arrest of several people in the entourage of Gabon's deposed President Ali Bongo for alleged corruption and treason.

The regional bloc CCAS, and the country's opposition coalition, have urged international partners to push for a rapid return to civilian rule. Also in this edition: In Democratic Republic of Congo, at least 48 protesters are reported to have been killed in the eastern city of Goma. And finally: In South Africa, the death toll rises to 76 after the devastating Johannesburg fire at an abandoned apartment block that housed dozens of homeless people and squatters.