US Suspends all Aid to Gabon

The United States on Monday suspended all its aid to Gabon in response to the coup d’état that took place 30th of August 2023 in the central African country, enabling the Gabonese Army overthrew President Ali Bongo Ondimba, who had been in power for 14 years, and had been declared the winner of the last presidential election. Although it said it was prepared to grant further aid if democratic progress is made.

Washington, which had already halted part of its foreign aid at the end of September, formally declared that a coup d’état had taken place in Gabon, which under US law implies the end of all non-humanitarian aid.

“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.

African news/Aluko Jane