Gabon
Following a 2023 coup ousting then-President Ali Bongo, Gabon has been engaged in a transition toward elections in 2025. As an upper-middle-income country on the Gulf of Guinea, an OPEC member, and a regional leader in peace and security, Gabon has enjoyed relative stability despite governance challenges. Since 2024, the U.S. Institute of Peace has worked to support a peaceful transfer to civilian rule and to prevent electoral conflict. USIP convenes dialogue between senior Gabonese and U.S. officials on progress in the transition roadmap and pathways for peace and prosperity. The Institute also provides practical solutions to the U.S. to accompany a peaceful transition while addressing the rising influence of China.
Featured Research & Analysis
What to Know About Gabon’s Coup
On August 30, just hours after Gabon’s election commission announced that President Ali Bongo Ondimba had been elected to a third term, a group of Gabonese military officers from the elite presidential guard unit seized power and placed the president under arrest at his palace. Later that day, the officers declared General Brice Oligui Nguema as chairman of the transition. While the election itself had been marred by reports of irregularities, the officers’ coup marks the latest in a long line of recent military takeovers across the African continent that have jeopardized regional stability and security.
Q&A: What Works in Preventing Election Violence
The elections this year in the Philippines, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Gabon and even the United States, demonstrate how high-stakes elections frequently trigger anxiety, tension or even violence or the threat of unrest. Properly managed elections allow opposing groups to press their claim to power through a peaceful process. But in fragile democracies, elections frequently feature intimidation or violent protest. U.S. Institute of Peace Senior Program Officer Jonas Claes, editor o...