The United States Government has decided to halt non-humanitarian aid to Gabon in response to the recent coup

The United States has taken the decision to halt all aid to Gabon as a direct response to the coup d’état that took place in August, leading to the removal of a president who had held power for over five decades, as confirmed by the State Department.

The State Department spokesperson, Matthew Milller, emphasized that while the U.S. is cutting off assistance, it remains committed to providing humanitarian, health, and education support to the Gabonese people. This announcement was made on Monday, October 23.

The suspension of foreign aid to Gabon had already been implemented temporarily since September 26, according to the official statement.

The State Department spokesperson, Miller, went on to state, “We will resume our assistance once we see concrete actions from the transitional government aimed at establishing democratic governance.”

The president who was ousted, Ali Bongo Ondimba, had been in power for 14 years, having succeeded his father in 2009, who had ruled the nation for an extensive 41-year period. It’s worth noting that there was a previous coup attempt by mutinous soldiers in 2019, but it was swiftly quelled.

The coup d’état that unfolded on August 30 saw the Gabonese military removing President Ali Bongo Ondimba from power. This action drew widespread condemnation from the international community. Ondimba’s presidency was marred by controversy, with the presidential election he won being widely criticized for irregularities.

Raymond Ndong Sima, the new military-appointed prime minister of Gabon, has called for a clear distinction between different types of coups, aiming to shed light on the complexities of this political turmoil.

Notably, the United States recently took similar measures in Niger, suspending counterterrorism aid and military training over two months after a group of mutinous soldiers seized control of the country.