The United States has announced suspension of all aid to Gabon in response to the coup d’état that occurred in the central African country, allowing the Gabonese Army to depose President Ali Bongo Ondimba, who had been in power for 14 years and had been declared the winner of the previous presidential election.
Although it stated that it is willing to provide additional assistance if democratic progress is made.
Washington, which had already halted a portion of its foreign aid at the end of September, formally declared that a coup had occurred in Gabon, implying the end of all non-humanitarian aid under US law.
“We will resume our assistance at the same time as concrete actions are taken by the transition government to establish a democratic regime,” State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said in a statement.
“The United States supports the people of Gabon in their aspirations for democracy, prosperity and stability”, he added.
Gabon, an oil-rich country, received little US aid, unlike other countries such as Niger, which also experienced a coup d’état at the end of July.
