Celebrations in Gabon's capital after soldiers seize power
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Transcript
00:00 Uncontained joy on the streets of the Gabonese capital after the army seized power.
00:07 A coup to bring an end to more than half a century under the rule of the Bongo family.
00:14 We are happy.
00:15 We want change in this country.
00:17 We don't want to be bullied anymore.
00:20 We don't want to be enslaved.
00:25 It's the liberation of an entire country.
00:27 Something I've dreamed about.
00:30 We're proud and very happy that the army has decided to stand up for justice.
00:37 Just a short time earlier, incumbent president Ali Bongo had been declared the winner of
00:41 last weekend's presidential vote.
00:44 But he didn't have a chance to begin his third term.
00:47 The army declared the result null and void and named General Brice-Oligwi Nguema as transitional
00:54 president.
00:55 The coup leaders also announced the arrests of people close to the president and detailed
01:00 their alleged crimes.
01:03 High treason against national institutions.
01:07 The mass siphoning of public funds.
01:11 Organized financial wrongdoings on an international scale.
01:16 Forgery and the use of forged documents.
01:21 From house arrest, ousted president Bongo released a video calling for support.
01:26 I'm to send a message to all the friends that we have all over the world to tell them to
01:33 make noise, to make noise for the people here have arrested me.
01:41 International leaders expressed concern over the coup but back on the streets of Gabon's
01:45 capital, the celebrations continued.
01:48 Ali Bongo had been in power for 14 years after succeeding his father who'd ruled for 41 years.
01:55 That means 90% of Gabonese people have lived their entire lives under the Bongo dynasty
02:02 until now.